Shock for Varel: Central emergency room closes due to patient loss!

Shock for Varel: Central emergency room closes due to patient loss!

shock in the healthcare system: The central emergency room of the St. Johannes Hospital in Varel will be closed on December 1st! The Friesland district council decided on this drastic step in a non -public meeting on Monday. The reasons are alarming: high costs of over 1 million euros per year, while the emergency room is hardly used!

The decision was made almost unanimously, only one voice declined while some abstained. The emergency room was temporarily closed in the past and opened again in spring, but only on working days with doctors on working days. After the renovation, the number of patients dropped dramatically: from June to October, only six cases about telemedicine were treated! Rescue cars have long since brought emergency patients to other hospitals, and the medical director of the emergency room recently terminated. Less than ten employees are affected by this closure - another blow for the hospital!

Financial crisis and political reactions

The pressure on the Friesland clinics is enormous! In order to maintain business capability, the clinics need 22.6 million euros this year. An even higher financial requirement is forecast for 2025. The closure of the emergency room shows that even the political supporters such as the SPD and future Varel have given up hope of a rescue. The closure of the Department of Internal Medicine at Christmas 2023 due to the lack of doctors was already a difficult blow, and now the emergency room becomes the next sad surrender in the fight for health care in Varel.