Neubrandenburg/Schwerin (dpa/mv) – The treatment of very small premature babies in Neubrandenburg will be discontinued in 2023. It’s about the so-called Perinatal Level 1 Center at the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Clinic. This was announced by the Ministry of Social Affairs in Schwerin on Wednesday. A one-year exemption proposed by Social Affairs Minister Stefanie Drese (SPD) was rejected by the state associations of health insurance companies and substitute funds in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. According to the ministry, this only affects newborns weighing less than 1250 grams.
Previously, the Federal Joint Committee in Berlin 2020 had set the increase in the minimum cases of “extremely premature babies” from 14 to 20 per year in a clinic to ensure quality. In Neubrandenburg there have recently been seven such cases, it said. Drese regretted the assessment of the MV state associations that no more exceptions would be allowed for 2023. An open discussion with all those involved is needed for future planning at the Neubrandenburg clinic site.
The maternity ward at the Neubrandenburg site will remain in place and the treatment of premature babies weighing more than 1250 grams will continue to be unrestricted, explained Drese. Even in very rare emergencies, in which premature babies with a lower weight have to be fetched completely unexpectedly, the clinic will guarantee vital first aid. The regular treatment of such extremely premature babies should take place in Berlin, Greifswald or Rostock in the future.
