German hospitals face staff shortages and financial losses

Four in every five German hospitals are struggling to fill vacancies in their general and intensive care wards, according to the results of a survey released on Monday, reported dpa.

The representative survey, carried out by the German Hospital Institute (DIK) and based on interviews with almost 300 institutions, also found that 60 per cent of hospitals were expecting to make a loss over the course of 2021.

Nationwide, around 22,300 vacancies in the care sector remain unfilled - a number that has tripled since 2016, the DIK said. At the time of the survey - between May and July - 84 per cent of hospitals were finding it difficult to find new staff on general wards.

"The care staff shortage is the most urgent problem in public health. It must be put at the very top of the political agenda," said Gerald Gass, head of the German Hospital Federation, which partially funds the DIK.

Restrictions brought in during the coronavirus pandemic, such as reduced occupancy and limits on regular operations, were cited as a "significant reason" for the hospitals' financial difficulties.

Only 11 per cent of the hospitals said they were in a good position financially, while just one in five expected an improvement in 2022.

Larger hospitals with 600 beds or more were said to be feeling the pinch in particular.