University Medicine Greifswald: Deficit of 6 million euros – success despite challenges!

University Medicine Greifswald: Deficit of 6 million euros – success despite challenges!

There is an exciting development from the Greifswald University Medicine (UMG), which ended 2024 with a deficit of 5.8 million euros. This is significantly better than originally forecast, where the expected deficit was 12.6 million euros. Toralf Giebe, the commercial director, emphasizes that the investments made are paying off and that in a financially challenging phase the clinic has not developed in terms of staff, but on the contrary, in a targeted manner in the specialist staff. The number of full-time positions in the medical service rose from 505 to 519, and nursing also increased to 856 employees. This increase in staff shows that UMG is becoming increasingly important as an employer in the region.

As far as the outlook is concerned, the UMG is planning a further increase in the number of positions in the medical service to 565 and in the nursing sector to 897 for the current year - the aim is to achieve a total of 3,131 full-time positions. Despite the current financial difficulties, the budget for 2025 has been drawn up with a deficit forecast of 8.4 million euros. These high costs are caused by tariff increases and the loss of state energy price support.

Positive developments despite challenges

The UMG does not see itself as alone in its financial dilemma. In 2023, the clinic closed with a deficit of around five million euros, which is seen as a positive step compared to other university hospitals in Germany. It is noteworthy that only a few university medical centers are in the black. The commercial director sees UMG in the upper midfield of German university medical centers - a great success that highlights the achievements of its employees.

One reason for this positive assessment is the high level of use by the population. Outpatient cases increased by 16,000 last year to a total of 233,374, and inpatient treatments also increased by 2,238 cases to 37,894. These developments are also reflected in the income generated, which, however, was not sufficient to cover the increasing costs. As the bpb reports, the Corona crisis has significantly increased health spending and the UMG is also confronted with a difficult economic environment where the increases in spending are not covered by tariff changes or the state base case value.

The need for appreciation

The medical director, Prof. Uwe Reuter, highlights the positive trend in third-party funding acquired. For the third year in a row, projects with a volume of over 30 million euros were successfully implemented, with even over 34 million euros being reached in 2024. This means that the value of the work carried out by the UMG is increasingly recognized by the population. The challenges as well as the positive developments show that UMG is laying a strong foundation for the future.

In a constantly changing healthcare system, it is essential that clinics like UMG stick to their quality and make targeted investments. It will therefore be exciting to see how the UMG will develop in the coming years. The employees are undoubtedly a pillar of medical progress in the region and deserve great respect.

In summary, Greifswald University Medicine remains on track despite financial difficulties. It has established itself as an important employer and continues to pursue its path of securing and expanding medical care for the population. After all, it is not always a given that hospitals can overcome such major financial challenges and still maintain the quality of care.