2024-03-29 08:22:01
“At that time, we were persuaded by the ruling majority at that time to unite and allocate 200-250 million to repair the hospital. This was the basis for why many members of the Council supported the merger process”, – A. Vaitkus recalls the details of the KUL creation process a couple of years ago.
Two years later, it was officially announced that 16 million euros will be allocated for the reconstruction of the infectious diseases corps of KUL.
Today, the mayor of Klaipėda emphasizes that such a merger of KUL, when there was no clear plan, no audit, was an obvious mistake, for which the Ministry of Health is responsible.
Millions of losses
Currently, it is preliminarily estimated that KUL’s operating losses last year amount to more than 12 million euros.
A. Vaitkus hopes that the real financial situation will become clear when the official KUL activity report for 2023 is presented in May.
The mayor is also waiting for the first meeting of the KUL Supervisory Board to be convened. The Klaipėda City Council has officially delegated A. Vaitkė to the Supervisory Board of KUL.
The head of Klaipėda expects concrete actions from the head of KUL, Audrias Šimaitis, after Easter, when the latter returns from a two-week visit to Singapore and Japan.
A. Šimaitis is visiting these distant Asian countries together with the Minister of Health Arūnas Dulkis and a delegation of the heads of other major Lithuanian health institutions.
According to A. Vaitkaus, KUL’s debts continue to grow.
KUL Deputy General Director for Management and Economy dr. Jūratė Grubliauskienė.
“The financial situation remains difficult, but we observe improving trends. Following the decisions made by the management, the institution’s monthly loss this year is decreasing. The January loss amounted to 1.9 million. EUR, and in February – 1.6 million. euros”, says J. Grubliauskienė.
According to her, the debt to suppliers, compared to December 2023, decreased by 100 thousand. euros.
“We do not evaluate and neutrally observe political decisions regarding the possible connection of the Klaipėda Children’s Hospital to the Klaipėda University Hospital,” said J. Grubliauskienė when asked to comment on the situation regarding the Children’s Hospital.
Missed the benefits
“When one or another action is done, it must bring benefits. Transformations cannot be made without clearly stating the benefits of the transformation. In the wake of the reform of the health care system in Lithuania, I have not yet seen a single official document that clearly answers the questions: what will be better for the patient and what will be better for the doctor who will do that job”, said A. Vaitkus at a specially organized press conference on Wednesday.
He emphasized that the proposal to connect the well-functioning Klaipėda Children’s Hospital to the Klaipėda University Hospital, which is experiencing millions of losses, is a “mind-boggling thing”.
At the same time, A. Vaitkus emphasized that the Klaipėda City Municipality is open to a discussion about the future of the Children’s Hospital, but neither the Ministry nor the members of the Seimas have approached the City Council or the Mayor in any way, either by phone calls or letters.
The Ministry of Health commented to “Vakaru ekspres” that, after receiving the recommendation of the Seimas Health Affairs Committee regarding the connection of the Klaipėda Children’s Hospital to the Klaipėda University Hospital, it plans to contact the founder of the hospital, the Klaipėda City Municipality, in the near future for an official position. After receiving it, further actions would be planned.
In the opinion of the Ministry, further consolidation of Klaipėda’s medical institutions can remain as a long-term goal, thereby improving the provision of medical services and their scope to the residents of the region, but today the priorities are different.
“The situation of the Klaipėda University Hospital is no secret to anyone, so maximum efforts are being made to normalize the situation in this medical institution. The additional process of merging medical facilities today may complicate these efforts, as it will require additional administrative and financial resources,” the ministry’s response emphasized.
The idea of changing the status of the Klaipėda Children’s Hospital is not new. However, the head of the hospital, Virginijus Žalimas, reminded that the initial option considered a few years ago was to join the Klaipėda Republican Hospital.
Tension in the team
“I understand the tension of the hospital team when someone makes suggestions that the hospital should be sold. I want to say responsibly, I also told the management of the hospital, you can work calmly, do your daily work”, A. Vaitkus reassured everyone regarding the possible transfer of the Klaipėda Children’s Hospital to the Ministry of Health.
According to him, Klaipėda Municipality is ready to develop the activities of the Children’s Hospital on its own. There is already talk of a palliative care service for children. For this purpose, it is planned to renovate and adapt the building on Karos Street, where the children’s polyclinic used to be located.
“The need for such services is enormous,” says A. Vaitkus, who has already discussed this issue with Klaipėda district mayor Bronius Markauskas.
The head of Klaipėda also said that he will find money in the city budget to repair the roof structures of the main building of the Children’s Hospital.
The situation is good
“The collective received the news (about the plans to connect to KUL. – Author’s post) sensitively. We want to work, to provide services to children”, said V. Žalimas, chief doctor of the Klaipėda Children’s Hospital.
According to him, the financial situation of the hospital is good. An independent financial audit is carried out at the beginning of each year, which is always faultless.
“According to the order of the ministry, we have to be unprofitable every year. We are a non-profit organization. Our balance is good”, said V. Žalimas at the press conference.
According to him, during the past year, the Children’s Hospital provided over 50,000 services in the Reception Department, over 9,000 patients were hospitalized, over 75,000 consultations were provided in the outpatient clinic, and over 3,000 operations were performed.
The children’s hospital serves patients from as many as 9 municipalities of the Western Lithuania region. During the COVID-19 pandemic, practically half of the Lithuanian children suffering from Covid-19 were treated at the Children’s Hospital. Although children with infectious diseases are usually treated at the KUL Department of Infectious Diseases.
2024-03-29 08:22:01