After the announcement by Kreuznacher Diakonie to close the Protestant city hospital in Saarbrücken, the deputy chairman of the FDP Saar, Dr. Helmut Isringhaus, commented: "It has long been clear that the current concept of the hospital was not sustainable. Nevertheless, Kreuznacher Diakonie apparently ignored the signals and is now abruptly closing the hospital. The statement in the official announcement that a hospice and additionally a facility for assisted living in old age are to be operated at the location in the future means that no emergencies can be treated here anymore. And the specialized inpatient departments will apparently also be discontinued. It would have been better to develop a meaningful, modern follow-up concept.
This is very unfortunate for the many qualified employees. Hopefully, they will soon find new jobs, especially as there is an acute shortage of skilled workers in the healthcare sector."
It has once again been shown that a church-run operator can close a hospital at short notice and that hospital planning fails miserably.
