Care for Penzberg hospital: millions of losses endanger the care!

In the region around Penzberg, the concerns about the future of the hospital there are increasing. The reason for this is the considerable financial imbalance of the Starnberg clinics and the associated measures that are due for the healthcare system in the area. Like merkur.de , the Penzberg hospital recorded a minus of around 4 million euros. The house with 100 beds supplies over 4,100 inpatient cases annually and is not alone with its challenges; The Starnberg clinics have also been writing red numbers since 2022, which leads to a financial bottleneck.

The district of Starnberg has already decided to help the clinics by providing grants of up to 25 million euros for 2024 and up to 34 million euros by 2026. Nevertheless, District Administrator Stefan Frey does not specifically comment on the financial support of the Penzberg hospital. A strategic approach to maintain the level of pension is considered, especially in coordination with the Bavarian Ministry of Health.

financial challenges and reforms

The problems in the healthcare system are not new. According to a report of the sueddeutsche.de led to a massive deficit before the corona pandemic. The deficit of the Starnberg Clinics was already 12 million euros in 2022, and a higher deficit is also expected for 2023.

Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach announced a new regulation of the financing and structuring of inpatient health care for 2023. A central question remains the future of the clinics in the district, in which there are currently three public law institutions. Experts indicate that there will be fewer than four clinics in the district and there will be a tendency to centralize and bundle offers. This could also result in a structural change in the clinical inpatient basic and focus on the district.

The specific implementation details are still unclear. Reflections to expand the Starnberg Clinic or even create a new clinic in Herrsching, which could bring several locations together, are discussed. District Administrator Frey, however, sees good prerequisites for medical care in the district, even if this means that patients have to accept longer journey.