Crisis situation in MV: Birth stations threaten to disappear!

Crisis situation in MV: Birth stations threaten to disappear!

In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the statistics show worrying developments in the field of obstetrics. The number of obstetric departments has reduced greatly since the turn. Nordkurier reports that there were still 30 hospital locations for delivery in 1991, while this number sank until 2001. Currently only 15 delivery stations operate in the state.

The decline is alarming: around 9,360 births were registered in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in 2023, a decline of 26 percent compared to 2018. Minister of Health Stefanie Drese (SPD) is concerned about this development and emphasizes the need to reform obstetrics in order to ensure the quality of care. NDR emphasizes that the minister suggests more outpatient services and to expand them in order to to enable better care.

The location of obstetrics

With almost half of the locations that looked after less than 600 births per year, the economic situation of many clinics becomes critical. News.de Care quotients of 46.78 have the best care relationships. Nevertheless, large clinics such as the Südstadt Rostock Clinic, which lists the most delivery (2,193), have to be regarded as below average in a higher care quotient of 65.51.

The revision of the State Hospital Act is intended to help address the needs of women before, during and after birth. A central point is the supply -related, quality -assured supply. The State Women's Council calls for a strategy that ensures such offers. Thus, the discussion about central boarding houses for pregnant women before birth is also becoming increasingly relevant, especially in sparsely populated areas such as the Mecklenburg Lake District.

the look into the future

The decline in births in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania can have serious effects. The quality of care could decrease if there are fewer than 600 births per clinic. The Health Commission has already presented the first reform goals to counteract this trend. The focus will be on creating medical centers that offer a variety of services.

Almost 10,000 births were expected in 2023, which is again below the figures from 2013 (12,500) and 1990 (23,500). It turns out that the decline in women of childbearing age remains a central problem. There is an urgent need for action to strengthen obstetrics in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and to guarantee pregnant women.