New hospital plan for Saxony provides for 76 hospitals

The new hospital plan for Saxony envisages 76 hospitals as before - spread across the entire state. This is according to the hospital plan approved by the cabinet on Tuesday, which will take effect from January 1, 2024. "It remains a network of hospitals," said Social Affairs Minister Petra Köpping. Hospitals for standard and specialist care are planned, flanked by specialist hospitals and maximum care providers. The new hospital plan includes two new specialist care providers in Borna and Bautzen, each covering their own region. This brings their number to a total of eleven.

This is a graduated network of complementary hospitals, according to Köppig. "My goal is and remains that every patient in every region receives good care, without every specialty or specialization having to be offered everywhere." The SPD politician spoke of a transitional plan that may have to be adapted following the planned federal hospital reform.

From January, the number of hospital beds across Saxony will fall by three percent - according to the ministry, this is due to applications from the providers, who are dealing with a lack of capacity in many places. A lack of staff is also a reason.

This means that 24,797 beds will be available in hospitals in Saxony from January. In order to respond to the increased demand, capacity in mental health specialties, including child and adolescent psychiatry, will be increased by 85 beds. There will also be more beds in geriatrics in future. Overall, the hospital plan aims to strengthen medical care for older people.

A list of which clinics will offer which treatments in future is to be published by the end of the year. With the hospital plan, Saxony wants to respond to demographic change with an increasingly ageing population, among other things.