Lebach – Employees of the Caritas Hospital in Lebach, Saarland, are resisting the announced closure of their location. The corona crisis showed how important it was for the Saarland to maintain the Lebach hospital, the employees said on Thursday. It is “both strategically and geographically” of enormous importance: New intensive care beds and a newly installed Covid 19 ward with a total of 27 beds are “existential for the Saarland in the current situation”.
The location was also necessary for the medical population of the Saarland over the next few years, the letter said. The carrier, the Cusanus carrier Trier (CTT), had announced the closure of the clinic in the middle of this year. The exact time is still open. Saar Health Minister Monika Bachmann (CDU) asked the CTT to clarify the situation by April 17 at the latest. The executing agency had to declare «whether it will make a decision to close and if so at what time». “We need medical care in northern Saarland and we need a solution for the employees.”
The hospital has around 500 employees. In recent years, it has been operating at a loss. The Saarland government tried to lead the hospital into a future, the ministry said. However, the carrier lacked financial means. The Laubacher hospital with 32 million has the highest renovation backlog of all hospitals, it said.
