Hospital beds in Split under the spotlight.
The Ministry of Health does not exclude the possibility that the Split Clinical Hospital Centre will have to reduce the number of beds for acute patients, since the hospital occupancy rate there fell by eight percent and is now at about 65.5 percent – that was the information which raised a storm in Split. Kolja Poljak, the manager of the Clinical Hospital Centre, gave his opinion, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on August 17 2015.
“Indeed, in the Clinical Hospital Centre in Split we will soon reduce the number of beds for acute patients, but it will not mean the deterioration of medical services. Specifically, we will significantly increase the number of hospital beds for out-patient procedures and one-day surgery department, and we will introduce a number of beds for extended treatment. With these measures, the occupation rate of the hospital will meet the required norms”, explained Poljak.
However, the latest indicators of quality and efficiency of the Croatian Institute for Health Insurance show that the Split Clinical Hospital Centre has reduced the occupancy rate by eight percent. “The occupancy rate is reduced because the turnover of patients is now faster. All those patients who do not need constant 24-hour medical care are treated on a outpatient basis, while some surgical cases are treated in a one-day surgery procedure. In this way our patients stay fewer days in the hospital, but the application of new procedures in the Split Clinical Hospital Centre will help it achieve the level of European hospitals standards”, said Poljak.
Many people in Split were surprised by the fact that in the first six months, among large hospitals, the first place was won by the Sestre Milosrdnica Clinical Hospital Centre in Zagreb, since last year it was Split which was the best major hospital in Croatia.
“These are the results for the first six months only. We are continuously monitoring the parameters of efficiency and quality, and we try to meet the demands of the Croatian Institute for Health Insurance and the Ministry of Health”, explained Poljak.
The hospital in Split would certainly be more effective if it had more sophisticated medical equipment. The hospital has been asking for years for new equipment – at least two new MRI and two new MSCT devices. “We received a promise that we will get two MSCTs and one MRI device by autumn. In that way, we could improve the quality of treatment and patient turnover. We will get a new lab for cardiac catheterization, diagnostic and therapeutic treatment of blood vessels to the heart, which will be a huge step forward for the hospital. We will also receive an important piece of equipment for gastroenterology department which is worth 2.5 million kuna, and we are also expecting a new laser for surgeries on the larynx, which costs 100,000 euros”, said the manager of the Split hospital.
