Verdi calls for a safe hospital concept for Friesland and Wilhelmshaven

Verdi calls for a safe hospital concept for Friesland and Wilhelmshaven

Things are getting exciting in Friesland because the Verdi union has spoken out and is calling for a well-thought-out hospital concept to ensure medical care in the region. Verdi representative Hannes Scherf emphasizes the urgency of a reliable perspective for all employees. The focus is on the fears of the employees at the three clinic locations, who need a job guarantee. “There simply needs to be a clear plan,” says Scherf. Such a plan could advance the development of the planned central hospital while providing transparency.

Verdi demands that both the population and airport employees be involved in the process. Ultimately, the medical care structure should not only be geared towards the Friesland district, but should benefit the entire region. A comprehensive analysis of the medical needs in Friesland and Wilhelmshaven is also on the agenda in order to develop a concept that takes basic and emergency care close to home into account. Redundancies for operational reasons should be excluded in order to guarantee the affected employees a secure future.

The way to the central clinic

Political decision-makers have taken another step in this direction. The Friesland district and the city of Wilhelmshaven have jointly decided to build a central clinic. The district council and the city council commission location reports to define the best criteria for the new clinic locations, while the existing hospitals in Wilhelmshaven, Sanderbusch and Varel are to be merged. The aim is to achieve a full legal merger of Friesland Kliniken GmbH and Klinikum Wilhelmshaven GmbH in order to create a strong foundation.

“This is an important fundamental decision for health care in our region,” said District Administrator Sven Ambrosy. The administration and management are now tasked with developing sustainable and affordable models to ensure medical care. However, no significant changes to the existing locations are planned during the transition period until the central clinic goes into operation.

New ways of hospital financing

A new regulation from the Federal Ministry of Health is also at work in the background, which is aimed at a comprehensive reform of the hospital financing system. The introduction of the retention fee guarantees remuneration for hospitals in need, regardless of the services actually provided. This needs-based financing could be of great importance for the central clinic. Some of the necessary funds will be separated from existing per-case flat rates, which could provide important financial support for clinical care.

As part of the reform, hospital care costs will remain unchanged. These will continue to be paid for according to the cost-coverage principle through a special care budget. This has also taken care of important areas such as pediatric care, intensive care and emergency care, all of which contribute to strengthening the health infrastructure.

The discussion about the central clinic in Friesland and Wilhelmshaven brings a breath of fresh air and hope that medical care can be raised to a new level as soon as possible. As the course is set, it will be exciting to see how the various stakeholders – from the union to political decision-makers – will work together to realize this vision.

For anyone interested, the full reports can be read here: nwzonline.de, friesland.de, bundesgesundheitsministerium.de.