58 million euros for better obstetrics: a profit for rural regions!

58 million euros for better obstetrics: a profit for rural regions!

in Rhineland-Palatinate, obstetrics are strengthened with considerable financial commitment. The federal government has provided funding of a total of 5.8 million euros in order to improve the nationwide and needs -oriented supply in obstetrics, especially in rural regions. Member of the Bundestag Isabel Mackensen-Geis (SPD) emphasizes how important these federal funds are to ensure high-quality medical care. In the Neustadt-Speyer constituency, the district hospital Grünstadt, the Marienhaus Hetzstift Neustadt and the Diakonissen Foundation House Speyer benefit from this funding with a total of almost 300,000 euros.

A special focus of the Rhineland-Palatinate state government is on a targeted distribution model for the funds. For example, 3.3 million euros are provided as base yields for all 27 maternity clinics included in the hospital plan. In addition, there is additional funding of 2.5 million euros for clinics that have special care relevance. Particularly noted that clinics, whose closure would give more than 950 women of childbearing age a journey time of over 40 minutes, receive a flat -rate additional funding of 250,000 euros. Member of the state parliament Claus Schick emphasizes that the distribution of funds comprehensively takes into account the special needs of the rural state.

challenges in rural regions

Medical and nursing care is a crucial part of general interest. Nevertheless, it turns out that rural regions are often disadvantaged compared to urban areas. There are fewer health supply facilities in these areas, which is due to the low population density. Long travel routes for patients are widespread, especially for specialized medical services. This is reinforced by a higher burden of disease in rural regions due to an aging population and multimorbidity.

The economic profitability of pediatric practices in rural areas is often not given, and the supply costs per capita are higher in these regions. A conflict of goals arises between the need to create fair living conditions and efficiency, since the same care costs per capita are incurred. While outpatient care is mainly carried out in practices of home and specialists as well as in pharmacies, rural health care fights with the lower number of doctors per inhabitant. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, for example, 10,500 children and adolescents live more than 20 km from the next pediatrician. As a result, children rarely go to doctor visits and general practitioners often have to take on comprehensive care.

Innovative approaches to improve care

In order to deal with these challenges in health care, innovative supply models are required. Examples of this can be the division of labor between different health professions or telemedical solutions that enable local health services. In addition, the cooperation between inpatient and outpatient sectors is crucial for effective health care. Future hospital structures could need fewer beds, but offer more functions, which represents adaptation to the changed requirements in health care.

The need to integrate medical care into the planning of general interest is undisputed. Creative and sustainable solutions are required for high -quality medical care that takes into account the needs of all citizens, especially in rural regions.