Germany’s Health Minister, Karl Lauterbach, has issued a stark warning about the state of hospitals and the expected rise in death rates unless sufficient support is provided to the healthcare sector.
Lauterbach is pressing state authorities to secure clinical assistance planned under the Transparency Act, to be discussed in the German Parliament next February.
He emphasizes the risk of widespread hospital bankruptcies in 2024 if the Transparency Act is not enacted.
The delay in hospital reforms would place a significant burden on municipalities, which would be responsible for the healthcare deficit.
Thanks to the pending Transparency Act, hospitals across the country can access liquidity worth 6 billion euros.
The situation in many German hospitals is deteriorating due to staffing shortages.
According to a study by the German Hospital Institute, 86% of the surveyed hospitals anticipate worsening job conditions in general departments over the next three years due to a shortage of new applicants.
The study reveals that 94% of clinics lack nursing staff in general departments, and 75% are understaffed in intensive care units.
On average, 8% of full-time positions in affected hospitals are vacant, rising to 12% in intensive care units.
The number of clinics and hospitals in Germany has decreased over the years. While there were about 2,400 clinics in 1991, according to the Federal Statistical Office, there are currently 1,893. Additionally, the number of hospital beds dropped in 2022, with the Federal Statistical Office recording about 480,400 beds, a 25% decrease compared to 1991.
Despite this decline, the number of patients treated has increased by about 25% since the early 1990s, reaching nearly 19.4 million cases in the last year before the COVID-19 pandemic.
This means there has been a significant reduction in the average length of stay, now averaging 7.2 days.
