In view of the drastic increase in energy costs, the hospitals in Brandenburg face growing problems, including possible insolvency. “We expect a 45 percent increase in energy costs,” said the managing director of the Brandenburg State Hospital Society, Michael Jacob, of the German Press Agency with a view to this year.
In the coming year, the increase could be up to 140 percent. “If we don’t do anything now and let everything continue, bankruptcies could still be announced this year,” said Jacob.
In addition to price increases for energy, medical products and services are also becoming more expensive, according to the company. However, the hospitals could not simply pass on the increased costs because there is a remuneration system with flat rates per case.
The cost increases are not yet noticeable for patients, said Jacob. How the hospitals react to the increased prices depends on how they are set up, whether a carrier can inject money and whether a clinic suffers from staff shortages.
Health Minister Ursula Nonnemacher (Greens) and the CEO of the German Hospital Society, Gerald Gass, are also expected to attend a protest rally by the Brandenburg hospitals on Tuesday morning at the New Lustgarten in Potsdam.