2023-05-16 13:57:32
The Neuchâtel Hospital Network (RHNe) recorded a deficit of 10.9 million francs in 2022, 5 million higher than the budget. This worsening of the result is explained by the saturation of the hospital system and by the effects of inflation.
“Emergency overcrowding, the maintenance of a Covid device, the use of temporary staff or the impossibility of getting some elderly patients out awaiting placement have created a significant gap between operating expenses and revenue. “, said Léonard Blatti, director of finance of the RHNe, quoted in the press release on Tuesday.
This crisis situation has led to the postponement of more than 350 elective surgeries. It required hiring additional staff in the area of care. Inflation was also a major factor in the additional cost (2 to 3 million francs in 2022).
A loss of 13 million linked to the Covid
Covid-19 had a major effect on the activity and finances of the RHNe in 2022. The cantonal hospital had to maintain a dedicated organization to hospitalize 1,716 patients affected by the virus, compared to 735 in 2021. The number of patients hospitalized for Covid reported to the population of the canton is higher than elsewhere in French-speaking Switzerland. The related financial loss amounts to 13 million francs, which should be compensated by a cantonal subsidy.
“The activity was also very high for all the other supports, with peaks at more than 400 beds. Nearly 80 additional beds remained open continuously, which represents 25% of the standard device”, specified the RHNe. These additional beds were used to accommodate Covid patients, but also a record number of elderly patients awaiting placement (C beds).
Despite this difficult context, the cantonal hospital was able to take care of all Neuchâtel patients who needed care, and even beyond: the pediatric department thus welcomed nearly 30 children who might not find a bed in their canton of ‘origin.
Savings measures
“The financing of health benefits will soon no longer be possible with the federal rules currently in force. At the canton level, the board of directors is constantly striving to obtain the necessary aid, declared its president Pierre-François Cuénoud in the annual report. In return, it is logically expected that we will continue our efforts to improve efficiency, as comparisons with other similar establishments show a residual margin from this point of view”.
In 2021, the RHNe had recorded a deficit of 6.8 million francs, because of the Covid. In 2023, a loss of 12.6 million is budgeted.
In 2022, measures to improve the result led to savings of 3.5 million. “These efforts are continuing intensely since the 2023 budget includes measures aimed at improving the result by 18 million francs,” added the establishment.
A drop in personnel costs of 5 million francs is expected, by eliminating a hundred jobs out of a workforce of more than 2,400 in two years. These measures “can only be carried out if the pressure drops in a lasting way on the hospital system”, added the RHNe.
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