More than every other hospital in Germany should be closed to the view of professionals, so that patient care can be improved. Of the currently, nearly 1400 hospitals only significantly less than 600 bigger and better clinics should be retained, says a study by the Bertelsmann Foundation. You could then get more staff and better equipment.

“Only hospitals with larger departments and more patients have enough experience for a safe treatment,” emphasize the authors of the study. Many complications and deaths could be due to the concentration of Doctors and nursing staff and equipment in fewer hospitals to avoid. Small clinics do not have often the necessary equipment and experience to be able to life-threatening emergencies such as a heart attack or a stroke in appropriate treat.

Shortage of personnel

Only in a sufficiently large hospitals to specialist offices could be occupied around the clock. Also computer tomographs, and other important devices could then be available in all clinics ready. Above all, the quality of emergency care and of planned operations could improve. Also, the nursing shortage could be reduced. “There is a lack of medical personnel, in order to get the clinic number to maintain,” writes the Bertelsmann project Manager Jan goats.

A reduction in the number of hospitals is discussed in Germany for a long time. Federal Minister of health, Jens Spahn (CDU) had recently emphasized: “A hospital is a piece of home is, for many citizens.” In public health emergencies there is a need for a quickly accessible supply. Hospitals in rural regions receive from the health insurance funds in the future, extra money. Are provided in the next annual financial injection for 120 hospitals of 400,000 Euro and, thus, a total of 48 million euros.

In the Bertelsmann study, however, the quick accessibility of a small hospital was only a perceived advantage. If there is no specialist was available, the clinic is a serious quality drawback. A case study for the Region of Cologne/Leverkusen and the adjacent rural area have shown that patients will have to take a reduction in the number of clinics from 38 to 14 in the average not much longer driving times.

Every third German hospital in the red

The financial situation of many hospitals in Germany is precarious. According to recent Figures of the German hospital society, every third hospital in 2017, has written in the red. The so-called rationalization reserves are now exhausted, had declared the hospital society.

The authors of the Bertelsmann study, propose a two-stage construction of a new hospital structure. In addition to supply hospitals with an average of 600 beds, there should be about 50 University clinics and the other a maximum of utility with an average of 1300 beds. Currently, a third of the German hospitals less than 100 beds. The average size of the hospitals was under 300 beds.

According to scientists, to many people come to Germany to the hospital. About five million patients per year could be treated on an outpatient basis or in surgery. The number of hospital cases could go on and on, until 2030 to 14 million-a-year reduce. The researchers noted that the number of bed-days per inhabitant in Germany is 70 per cent above the average of comparable EU countries.

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