Clinic numbers in danger: Elbe-Elster is planning radical health reform!

Clinic numbers in danger: Elbe-Elster is planning radical health reform!

Finsterwalde, Deutschland - The district council Elbe-Elster decided in April 2025 a restructuring model for the Elbe-Elster Clinic, which is considered pioneering for medical care in rural areas. The model, known as the "3+1" concept, provides for the retention of three existing locations in Finsterwalde, Elsterwerda and Herzberg, supplemented by a new central location in Doberlug-Kirchhain. The existing institutions should be preserved as semi-inpatient health centers with outpatient orientations and emergency basic care, which should increase the quality of care in the region rbb24 .

Clinic Managing Director Michael Winkler warns that a stop of the plans that will be discussed in the upcoming meeting on June 16 could result in serious consequences for medical care in the district. The free voters have already brought in a draft resolution that aims to implement the "3+1" project. However, the main problem remains the financing of the new building by the nationwide transformation fund within the framework of the hospital reform, whereby the building application should be rejected whether one of the existing locations can be converted

background of the restructuring

The economic pressure on the clinic network is considerable, which is expressed in losses and a clearly noticeable lack of personnel. In this context, the discussion about the possible sub -closures of individual houses can also be seen. A positive response from the Ministry of Health to the proposed concept is considered an important signal for everyone involved. This could help to strengthen acute care in the district, especially in emergency indications such as strokes or heart attacks explains rbb24 .

The fact that the district of Elbe-Elster is larger than Berlin and the clinic locations over 30 kilometers apart is a special challenge. Innovative supply models are considered necessary to effectively improve medical and nursing care in rural areas. Some of these models could include cooperation between different health professions, telemedical offers and mobile healthcare providers How the BPB explains .

The requirements for health care

Medical and nursing care is a central component of general interest, and the population expects high -quality health services regardless of their place of residence. This is a challenge, especially in rural regions, where the density of health care facilities is significantly lower. A lower population can lead to specialized supply offers, such as pediatric practices leads bpb to .

The restructuring plans of the Elbe-Elster clinic are a pragmatic approach to prepare for the upcoming changes in the health sector and to react actively to the current challenges. A future-oriented concept could help to close the existing supply bottlenecks and to adapt the health offers to the needs of the region HCM magazine .