Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) – Due to high energy and material costs, the hospitals have appealed to the state for financial help. “The many times higher costs are bringing many hospitals to the limits of their economic capacity to act and have the potential to trigger a structural break in healthcare,” said Ingo Morell, President of the North Rhine-Westphalia Hospital Association, on Wednesday in Düsseldorf. “Without sufficient support from the federal government, there is a risk of a wave of bankruptcies among hospitals as early as 2023.” The clinics now have to spend money “that they can never earn again”.

The fact that the negotiations between the federal and state governments on relief measures have still not brought any clarity is met with incomprehension by the hospital society. “The chancellor promised not to leave anyone alone, and the federal health minister announced an aid package four weeks ago,” Morell said. “The hospitals feel nothing of either.” The hospitals urgently need clarity about help.