Schwerin (dpa / mv) – According to estimates by the CDU, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania around 1,600 additional nursing staff are needed to equip the hospitals appropriately. The Union MP and former Health Minister Harry Glawe called on the state government on Thursday in the state parliament to take measures to meet the growing need for personnel. With a view to the hospital care relief law planned by the federal government, the need should be determined in detail. “We have to make the hospitals fit for the future.” However, Glawe did not find a majority for his application.
Science Minister Bettina Martin, who spoke for the absent Social Affairs Minister Steffanie Drese (both SPD) in the debate, referred to the early status of the legislation. There is only a draft of the federal law, and the real need is to be determined in nationwide model projects before the law is to take effect from 2024. “We will know how high the additional requirements are after the pilot phase,” said Martin. But the corona pandemic had already revealed large gaps in care, to which politics had ruled.
Martin said that interest in nursing professions in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is growing steadily. While around 950 trainees started in the 2017/18 school year, there are now 1,550. That corresponds to an increase of around 60 percent.
In response to the great need for nursing staff, the country had introduced generalist training. This is financed by a nursing training fund, which according to the ministry will amount to 105 million euros in 2022 and will be filled by clinics, nursing homes and the state. The school fees for trainees that used to be paid in many cases have not been charged since 2020.
