On Thursday, the admissions ward of the county hospital in Lubliniec was closed. Earlier, the hospital had announced the temporary suspension of its anesthesiology, gynecology-obstetrics, and operating theatre departments. The reasons cited are a dire financial situation and an ongoing conflict with staff.
The Independent Public Healthcare Complex in Lubliniec announced a temporary suspension of operations at its admissions ward. According to a document signed by acting director Karolina Famuła, the decision takes effect on April 2 and is set to remain in force until April 7. The facility has long been struggling with severe staffing shortages and financial difficulties.
“The reason for the inability to provide services in this unit is the lack of medical staff,” the management stated.
Multi-million Debt and Bailiff Action
During this period, the hospital will not admit emergency patients through its admissions ward. Residents of Lubliniec County will therefore need to seek medical assistance at other hospitals.
Recently, there was a change in the hospital’s leadership. The former director, Gabriel Dors, had pointed to numerous organizational challenges. Even before the decision to close the admissions ward, county councilors had decided to reduce the number of beds in two departments. In the internal medicine ward, the number of beds will decrease from 35 to 27, and in pediatrics from 12 to 6. Some services have recently been shifted to outpatient or one-day treatment formats.
The hospital’s financial condition is extremely difficult. Current liabilities amount to approximately PLN 12 million, while total debt has already exceeded PLN 80 million.
An additional problem is the seizure of the hospital’s accounts by a bailiff, which hampers the facility’s operations and causes delays in salary payments to employees.
Since March 1, the hospital in Lubliniec has temporarily suspended and ceased providing healthcare services in its anesthesiology and intensive care unit, as well as in the obstetrics-gynecology department and the operating theatre. The hospital announced that, based on signed agreements, residents of Lubliniec County will receive these services at the following facilities: the Multi-Specialist County Hospital S.A. in Tarnowskie Góry, the Healthcare Complex in Olesno, the Voivodeship Specialist Hospital of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Częstochowa, and the Rudolf Weigl Hospital in Blachownia.