Bavaria is planning a radical change of course: citizens are no longer allowed to make decisions about hospitals!

Bavaria is planning a radical change of course: citizens are no longer allowed to make decisions about hospitals!

Things are simmering in Bavaria: There is a lot of thought going on about reforming the rules for referendums. The most recent occasion is the referendum on the construction of a central hospital in the Weilheim-Schongau district. Over 52,000 participants, 67.2 percent, clearly rejected this and thus stopped the plans to merge the hospitals in Weilheim and Schongau. An action alliance had previously collected an impressive 8,300 signatures for the citizens' petition, which unfortunately ended with a result of almost 70 percent against the new building plans. According to the managing director of the Weilheim-Schongau GmbH hospital, Thomas Lippmann, this decision was clearly wrong and puts the health care situation in the district in a precarious situation.

This debate is being fueled by the threat of closure of smaller clinics. Bavaria's Health Minister Klaus Holetschek promoted the merger and played on the great uncertainty in health care. Andrea Jochner-Weiß, the district administrator, also noticed resignation on the faces of the citizens and expressed her disappointment. Problems such as staff shortages and high costs remain, while the future of the two hospitals remains uncertain even after this vote. “Small hospitals have a hard time anyway,” said Jochner-Weiß, and concerned citizens are urging that the plans not simply be revived after a year.

Changes for referendums are coming

A round table, moderated by Günther Beckstein, is currently discussing possible modalities for referendums in Bavaria. This also includes the idea of ​​completely excluding referendums in hospital planning in the future in order to ensure that important projects run smoothly. This also applies in light of the fact that more than 80 percent of Bavarian hospitals are in the red. As a result, more and more voices are calling for reforms to referendums in order to avoid blocking such important projects. Its goal is to both increase planning security and support decision-makers in the development of the healthcare infrastructure. [Merkur].

However, there are also critical voices. Daniela Puzzovio from the Pro Hospital Action Alliance expresses concern about the possible exclusion of referendums in hospital planning and demands that the population should be able to have a say in such crucial matters. A sign of democracy, according to Puzzovio, which gives great weight to the frustration and resignation among the population. The population in other regions of Bavaria is also active - more than 45,000 people have signed an online petition to keep the hospital in Mainburg. The challenges for the small hospitals are clearly noticeable and therefore have a signaling effect beyond the district, as Süddeutsche notes.

The changes and the results of the ongoing discussions are eagerly awaited. It is clear that health care in Bavaria is under scrutiny in the long term and economic and political solutions are urgently needed so that citizens do not become losers.