Erfurt/Leipzig (dpa/th) – In view of the rising costs due to the pandemic and the Ukraine war, the Thuringia and Saxony hospital associations are demanding support from the federal and state governments. “Politicians have to keep the hospitals’ backs free,” said the chairmen of the two companies, Sven U. Langner and Gundula Werner, in a statement on Thursday. The hospitals should be able to focus on patient care. They called for a special fund at the federal level. The associations also appealed to the health ministries of their countries.
The 123 hospitals in the associations are “massively affected” by price increases caused by the pandemic and war. Despite economic management, they would find themselves in serious economic difficulties for the foreseeable future. This development is foreseeable in almost all material cost areas – from medical products to energy costs.
The savings potential of the clinics is “very limited” since medical care requires a lot of energy. The energy costs for the 78 Saxon hospitals are estimated at around 90 million euros in the current budget; in the 45 Thuringian hospitals with around 55 million euros.
