Statistics: Czech hospitals more efficient in 2012

Prague, March 6 (CTK) - Czech hospitals increased their efficiency in 2012 treating more patients than the year before, though they abolished some 1500 beds in total, according to the latest statistical data released to CTK.

Last year's data also confirm that the patients' interest in after-care services has been rising.

There were 188 hospitals with 58,832 beds in the 10.5-million Czech Republic in 2012.

Out of all hospital beds, there were 49,181 acute beds, 7460 after-care beds and 2191 beds for newborn babies.

The number of beds decreased by 2.6 percent (1504). The average length of treatment was 6.9 days, which is 0.3 day shorter than in 2011.

The number of acute-care patients, including neonatal care, rose by 0.4 percent, and in the case of aftercare by 2.4 percent. The acute-care days decreased by 1.8 percent, while after-care days rose by 1.8 percent in 2012.

The number od hospitalised patients in acute care increases from 2.086 million in 2011 to 2.136 million last year and the number of treatment days from 12.963 million to 12.732 million year-on-year.

The number of after-care patients rose from 51,388 to 51,573 and from 2.318 million days to 2.360 million days year-on-year, according to statistics.

The Health Ministry in cooperation with health insurers originally planned to abolish 10,000 acute beds within two or three years, but later it lowered the figure to 6000.

Health insurance companies were to use the fact that their contracts with hospitals expired at the end of last year and they wanted to sign new ones with a lower number of them.

However, health insurers gave in to the pressure of hospitals, trade unions and patients and signed the new contracts with all hospitals.

Critics, however, claim that health insurers will make hospitals abolish beds anyway by giving them less money.

The total number of hospitals in the country decreased by one to 188 (156 acute-care and 32 after-care facilities). Two acute hospitals were abolished and one after-care facility was established.

As of the end of 2012, there were 56,262 acute beds (57,756 in 2011), including 13,258 beds in teaching hospitals (15,299 in 2011), and 2570 after-care beds (2580 in 2011).

Acute beds made up 95.6 percent of all beds in 2012 and their number dropped by 0.1 percent year-on-year.