Closing more and more delivery rooms - is having children a problem?

Increasing cost pressure: Midwives criticize the massive closing of delivery rooms
More and more hospitals in Germany are closing their obstetrics stations. This is often justified by increasing cost pressure. The remaining clinics will find in many cases no more staff. The German Midwives Association is raising the alarm.

Hospitals say goodbye to their obstetrics stations
Only recently was it confessed that in 2015 the highest birth rate in Germany was reached in 2015 for 33 years. "According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), a similar high value was last demonstrated in 1982 for the territory of present-day Germany with 1.51 children per woman," states a statement. But having children is increasingly becoming a problem. The reason: More and more hospitals say goodbye to their obstetrics stations.

In Germany, more and more clinics say goodbye to their obstetrics stations. In the remaining, there is often enormous staff shortage. (Image: Kzenon / fotolia.com)

The problem will get worse
In the past 25 years, around 40 percent of the delivery rooms in Germany have lost their light. "In 1991, there were still 1186 clinics where births were possible. In 2014 there were only 725 clinics with obstetrics. Since then, almost every month a delivery room closes doors completely or temporarily, "writes the German Midwives Association on its website.

The association's president, Martina Klenk, said, "It's a dramatic development," according to news agency dpa. She warned, "If the conditions for doing business do not improve, the problem will get worse."

Hospitals in rural areas without obstetrics
Already in many rural areas there is no hospital with obstetrics anymore. For example, in the nearly 2000 square kilometer district of Diepholz in Lower Saxony. Jutta Meyer-Kytzia, who worked as a midwife in the delivery room for a long time, said according to dpa: "When traveling up to 50 kilometers, women are worried about getting to the clinic in time."

In the meantime, she takes care of birth preparation and aftercare as a freelancer. "I have to reject at least half of the requests from pregnant women," says Meyer-Kytzia. Many colleagues had migrated after the closure of the former four obstetrics stations in the district.

Hospitals can not find any more staff
For some time, many of the nationwide about 700 remaining maternity hospitals have complained of a midwife deficiency, or general staffing.

"Due to the enormous workload and time pressure, many colleagues do not want to work in the delivery room," explained Klenk. In many places hospitals have to temporarily close their delivery rooms. "Women who are in labor at the door are rejected. We know that from Munich, Stuttgart or Freiburg, "said the association's president.

It is also often regarded as problematic that only in the last year the liability premiums for midwives have risen again. For expectant mothers, it is therefore increasingly difficult to find the right midwife.

Every third hospital makes losses
The managing director of the German Hospital Association (DKGEV), Georg Baum, stated in the agency message: "One third of the hospitals in Germany make losses. In many cases, the houses have no choice but to close the labor-intensive obstetrics ward. "

According to him, on Thursday decides "whether the dying of obstetrics continues." Because then is in the Joint Federal Committee, the seizure surcharge on the agenda. This is to ensure that rural hospitals, which are important for emergencies, receive additional financial resources.

Also birthing centers should be supported in this way from the point of view of the DKGEV. "The health insurance companies reject this. We do not think that's family-friendly, "says Baum.

Solution attempt not optimal
On the islands belonging to Schleswig-Holstein Föhr, Sylt and Fehmarn there is after the closures of the delivery rooms a solution attempt. As part of the "boarding" concept, residents can move into a room on the mainland up to two weeks before the expected date of birth.

Midwives, however, do not consider this solution optimal. "Hardly a child is born on the calculated date," said Klenk. "They need a window of at least four weeks." Partly because they do not want to tear their children out of their usual environment, many pregnant women spend as long as possible at their place of residence on the island.

Only in September had a woman from Sylt, who wanted to hospital in Husum, brought her baby daughter in the ambulance on the car train towards the mainland to the world. (Ad)