BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - The hospital industry has again demanded additional aid from the federal government due to acute economic note of many locations. "The financial situation of hospitals is dramatic, and it endangers the security of care for the population," said the head of the German Hospital Association, Gerald Gaß, on the occasion of a nationwide day of protest on Wednesday. In many hospitals and regions, the uncertainty is great, he said. The association is therefore calling for a quick "inflation adjustment." Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) made no new promises for this and referred to the planned hospital reform, which would also secure smaller hospitals.

Under the slogan "Stop the hospital death" there were beside a central demonstration at the Brandenburger gate in Berlin also actions in further cities, among them Duesseldorf, Frankfurt/Main and Stuttgart. The Verdi trade union supported the protest. Board member Sylvia Bühler said, "Hospitals in economic distress need immediate earmarked aid to finance rising prices and personnel costs." Thousands of jobs were at stake, she said, and the federal and state governments had to prevent that. "No hospital that is needed to provide care should be closed."

The German Hospital Association warned in its protest appeal, "The extremely increased prices are forcing many hospitals to their knees." Hardly a house could pay the expenditures still from current incomes. According to a survey by the German Hospital Institute, which is supported by the industry, 70 percent of clinics are seriously worried about their existence. By the end of the year, inflation-related deficits of ten billion euros would have to be absorbed. According to the information, 476 hospitals took part in the survey for the third quarter of 2023.

Lauterbach affirmed that the hospital reform was necessary. There are no longer enough treatment cases and personnel to keep 1700 houses on the grid, he said on ZDF. Now, however, in an "uncontrolled process," some of the wrong locations are being hit.

The reform provides, among other things, to change the remuneration system with lump sums for treatment cases, in order to loosen clinics from pressure to more and more cases. For this reason, they are to receive a large share of the remuneration simply for providing services. This is also intended to protect smaller hospitals in rural areas. Gaß demanded rapid assistance, so that the hospitals could experience the reform at all.

Demands also of the countries for an extra financial injection still before the reform had rejected Lauterbach also because of necessary budget savings already several times. He referred also to billion aids of the federation in the Corona pandemic and for risen energy costs. FDP health politician Andrew Ullmann said the day of protest was understandable, but the direction was completely off the mark. "Instead of counting the states as responsible and calling for action, you polemicize against the federal government." Lauterbach also complained that the states were insufficiently paying investment costs.

Bavaria's Health Minister Klaus Holetschek (CSU) called on Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to make hospital finances a top priority and push them forward as part of the proposed "Germany Pact."/sam/DP/mis