Clinic in Schwabach files for bankruptcy – future uncertain!

Clinic in Schwabach files for bankruptcy – future uncertain!

Hospital Schwabach gGmbH filed for bankruptcy at the Nuremberg District Court last Friday. As the city of Schwabach announced on its homepage on Saturday, this was the result of a long, tense economic process. Managing director Walter Förtsch explained that all efforts to stabilize the clinic economically had failed. The clinic has been making high losses for years, including due to a lack of income and sharply increased costs due to the corona pandemic.

A press release from Diakoneo states that the social enterprise has already provided tens of millions in financial resources as well as management support since becoming a shareholder. However, these investments were not sufficient to stabilize the financial situation. Diakoneo's commercial director, Michael Krach, emphasized that the insolvency proceedings will have no impact on Diakoneo's other offerings.

Situation of employees and patients

The further course of events for employees and hospital operations remains uncertain. Discussions are necessary between the city, the hospital, the works council and the provisional insolvency administrator in order to develop perspectives. Peter Reiß, the mayor of Schwabach, has already promised to work intensively on the concerns of patients and employees. The last few months for the clinic have been primarily characterized by a persistent shortage of skilled workers and falling patient numbers.

It is currently uncertain how many employees will be affected by the bankruptcy because the exact number of employees is not yet known. In February 2023, Diakoneo announced that it would sell its healthcare division, including the clinic in Schwabach. However, a suitable buyer was not found, which further complicated the situation.

The general health care crisis

The insolvency of the clinic in Schwabach is part of a worrying development in the German hospital landscape. According to that Health management There are numerous cases of insolvency across the country, particularly among non-profit organizations. There have already been 30 bankruptcies recorded in 2023, which represents a dramatic increase compared to previous years.

The causes are diverse: high wage costs due to tariff increases, sharp increases in prices for energy, food and medical products, and a lack of sales recovery after the pandemic. Clinics are often unable to offset rising costs through price increases. The non-profit organizations are particularly affected by this, which is also clearly reflected in the situation at the Schwabach Hospital gGmbH.

Until February 2023, the city of Schwabach owned a quarter of the shares in the clinic, which it sold to Diakoneo for a symbolic euro. The city is currently not legally involved in the bidding process or the bankruptcy, but feels it has a responsibility to represent the interests of its citizens as long as discussions continue. The coming weeks will be crucial to secure the future of the clinic and its employees.