Hospitals Spital STS AG to continue running Zweisimmen Hospital after all
Zweisimmen Hospital will now continue to be run as an acute hospital by Spital Simmental-Thun-Saanenland (STS) AG after all. This was decided by the STS Board of Directors, as announced by the company and the Canton of Bern on Wednesday.
17.07.2024, 10:25
17.07.2024, 11:25
SDA
The future of the ageing hospital had been in limbo for years. Closure was on the cards. Various alternatives were developed and failed, including the Simme-Saane Health Network (GSS) project. This was defeated by a wafer-thin margin at the ballot box.
In spring 2024, the canton surprisingly announced that it would be relying on the private company Medaxo AG in future. But these plans also came to nothing.
Now STS AG has come into play after all. According to a press release, the new Chairman of the Board of Directors, Thomas Staubhaar, is "fully committed to an inpatient hospital site in Zweisimmen in the long term and thus to ensuring basic care in the Simmental and Saanenland region". The commitment to Zweisimmen is intended to win back the trust of the population.
Service contract with the canton
Due to the financial outlook, the strained staff situation and the high workload of employees, however, selective adjustments may be necessary, the press release stated. The canton of Bern will pay an annual contribution via a service agreement.
The money will be allocated to so-called healthcare networks. A corresponding framework credit was approved in 2023. The amount of the contribution for Zweisimmen Hospital is not mentioned in the communiqué.
"Cooperation between all those involved is important to us", Bern's Director of Health Pierre Alain Schnegg (SVP) is quoted as saying. "We have been looking for a viable solution for over ten years. Together, the solution we have now defined is feasible and we can keep our promise to the population."
Emergency around the clock
Spital STS AG intends to develop a new operating concept by mid-2025. The framework conditions have already been defined. These include a year-round round-the-clock emergency service and 24-hour hospital operations with a number of beds yet to be determined.
Furthermore, "needs-based surgical activity" is to be ensured and an integrated care network established. The renovation of the property is to be planned together with Alterswohnen STS AG so that synergies can be exploited.
Government must approve plans
The Simme-Saane healthcare network project and the operation of the hospital by Medaxo AG are off the table. "The Bernese Health Directorate would like to thank everyone for their hard work in finding a viable solution," reads the press release. It will submit the new situation to the cantonal government after the summer break and obtain the formal decisions.
