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Uckermark Clinics on the verge of collapse: Savings plans hit patients hard!
Clinics in Uckermark are facing massive cuts: financial deficits will lead to restructuring by 2029.
Uckermark Clinics on the verge of collapse: Savings plans hit patients hard!
There is a threat of drastic change in the healthcare system in the Uckermark. The Gesellschaft für Leben und Gesundheit mbH (GLG) announces that massive cost-cutting measures are necessary for the Angermünde and Prenzlau clinic locations in order to avoid a financial disaster. The Prenzlau district hospital, which is struggling with a deficit of 1.8 million euros, could be insolvent as early as 2025 nordkurier.de reported. A continuous decline in patient numbers of 28 percent since 2019 has exacerbated the situation. In order to ensure the facilities' chances of survival, GLG plans to close entire departments in Angermünde as well as champagne and pain control structures in Prenzlau by 2029.
The restructuring plans not only include the closure of the clinic for internal medicine in Angermünde and the clinics for surgery and general medicine in Prenzlau, but also the conversion of the clinic in Angermünde into a 24-hour care center, like rbb24.de explained. Robert Schindler, Group Nursing Director, is optimistic that an improvement in outpatient care can be achieved despite the challenges. Nevertheless, the outlook is bleak: extensive job cuts are expected, and the survival of the emergency and rescue facility in Prenzlau is uncertain. The unions sharply criticize the upcoming cuts and call for a differentiated discussion in order to meet the needs of the population.
A system under pressure
The serious financial deficits prompted GLG to convene the supervisory board to discuss the necessary restructuring measures. District Administrator Karina Dörk emphasizes that the workforce urgently needs trust in the current negotiations with the ministry and the funding bodies. “The required standards were increased and with them the costs,” she describes the complex situation, which could no longer be offset by subsidies to reduce energy costs. This situation poses major challenges for healthcare in the region and requires rapid action to ensure that patients can continue to access high-quality medical services.