Hit bottom before a rebound? According to the provisional budget presented this Wednesday to its supervisory board, the Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) expects a historic deficit of nearly 400 million euros this year, but aims to return to equilibrium. budget in 2027.
The amounts exceed all forecasts. In the red since 2017, the AP-HP expected to complete a third consecutive financial year with more than 200 million losses. Expectations shattered: the largest French hospital group should record a deficit of 368 million euros for the year 2022.
Inflation, Covid-19 and wage measures
Blame it on galloping inflation and “exceptional charges”, linked to Covid-19 or “salary measures” decided by the government and not fully compensated to date. But the worst is yet to come: with the persistent surge in prices, especially energy, and the end of the “financing guarantee” put in place during the pandemic, a loss of 397 million is expected this year.
A critical situation, which does not prevent the AP-HP from aiming for “a return to equilibrium in 2027”, i.e. a deficit reduced to only 36 million in four years. The institution even intends to succeed in this tour de force without “cutting jobs” or “cutting investment”.
On the contrary, his plan consists in recruiting with all his might, in order to fill vacancies and reopen the approximately 16% of closed beds, to cause a “rebound in activity” and thus garner more revenue.
750 million in state aid
Arrived last summer at the head of the Hospitals of Paris, Nicolas Revel had already presented in December his “30 levers” to “improve working conditions” and attract more caregivers, for example by increasing his housing stock dedicated to staff. hospitable. To implement this strategy, it will benefit from state aid of 750 million over five years.
It will also be able to rely on the support of its medical community, whose representatives within the establishment medical committee (CME) gave a favorable opinion last week on this provisional budget for 2023-2027. This body, which had however “constantly rejected the budgets submitted for its opinion in recent years”, welcomed a “decisive change” in “logic of action”, according to the minutes of its last meeting.