St. Josef Hospital in Schweinfurt: closure meets 800 employees

St. Josef Hospital in Schweinfurt: closure meets 800 employees

The closure of the St. Josef hospital in the Lower Franconian Schweinfurt not only is a loss for the employees concerned, but also has far -reaching effects on health care in the region. In the coming months, the doors of the traditional house, which has been operated by the Catholic Order "Congregation of the Sisters of the Redeemer" for 93 years, will be closed. As a result, 800 employees, including 90 doctors and 430 nurses, lose their jobs.

The economic background of the closure

The decision to close was shaped by economic difficulties, high losses and uncertainty in the course of the hospital reform. The management had hope until the end that the district hospital would be taken over, but this proposal in the district council was rejected with 17 against 4 votes. District President Stefan Funk described the decision as a "catastrophe" for Schweinfurt and the surrounding region, which in future can only fall back on the Leopoldina Hospital.

emotional reactions of employees

The announcement has caused noticeable reactions among the 800 employees. Norbert Jäger, managing director of the hospital, reported an emotional mood among the employees. Many of them feel disappointment, grief and even anger about the unexpected development. In order to support those affected by the closure, a social plan is currently being drawn up with the employee representative, and legal support in the field of labor law is also used.

The role of politics and future measures

The sister Senior Monika Edinger said at a press conference that she was feeling abandoned by health policy. "It is irresponsible that politics simply lets us bleed out," she said. Despite all the efforts to save the hospital, the continued existence was denied. The hospital's premises are now to be marketed or rented out as soon as the closure is carried out.

A trend in health care

The closure of the St. Josef hospital in Schweinfurt is not the only case of this kind in Bavaria. The Red Cross Clinic Lindenberg in the Allgäu recently had also announced that the inpatient treatment of the patients. These developments raise questions about future health care in rural regions and illustrate the challenges with which non -profit hospitals are faced. The closures not only leave the affected employees with challenges, but also ensure a worrying gap in the medical care of the population.

Politics is now faced with the task of finding sustainable solutions in order to continue to ensure health care in Lower Franconia and beyond.

- Nag