According to the Left, the amendments to the hospital reform that were adopted by the Bundestag on Friday will worsen the staff crisis in hospitals. Linke leader Ines Schwerdtner said the handful of tweaks do not improve the situation and will not save any hospital from closure in the long run. “Instead of freeing clinics from profit pressure, there are a few placebos with dangerous side effects” she added.
The planned combination of case‑based payments and “pseudo‑advance financing” is said to make it attractive for hospitals to treat as many patients as possible with as little staff as possible. This will further increase the already heavy workload on nursing staff. Schwerdtner warned that the consequences are already clear: more workers will change professions or move to part‑time work because the stress is unbearable. “The federal government is tightening the staff shortage and endangering patient care” she said.
Instead of addressing symptoms, the Left demands that the government finally tackle the root causes of the crisis and remove the profit pressure from hospitals. The party claims that the pursuit of profit and the relentless push for cost efficiency at any cost have hollowed out and corrupted the health system. Hospitals should not make profits; they should focus on keeping patients healthy.
Schwerdtner calls on the health minister to strip all staff costs from the case payments and to have health insurers fully cover these costs, so that hospitals will no longer be forced to cut wages or staffing ratios.
