Suspended Admissions and Split Pay: The Severe Crisis Facing Silesian Hospitals

Two major medical facilities in Silesia face severe operational strains, with one hospital forced to temporarily close an internal medicine ward due to staff shortages and another paying July salaries in installments.

The Plight of Silesian Hospitals

What is happening in Silesian hospitals? That is the question being asked by residents of the region as subsequent facilities encounter critical problems. The Special Hospital Number 1 in Bytom and the Municipal Hospital in Ruda Śląska are both facing acute difficulties, resulting in the temporary closure of a ward at the former and split salary payments at the latter.

It is no secret that healthcare repeatedly contends with financial problems and staffing shortages. Ruling authorities grasp at various ideas to put out successive fires, leading to closed maternity wards or merged hospital departments as remedial measures yield meager results while more facilities stand on the verge of bankruptcy.

Internal Medicine Ward Closed in Bytom

Crisis has struck the Special Hospital Number 1 in Bytom, where the management decided to temporarily close the internal medicine department. This is where difficult medical cases and chronically ill patients were previously treated, but the hospital announced on social media that the ward is no longer accepting emergency or scheduled admissions, with patients being discharged or redirected starting Wednesday.

The suspension of the internal medicine activity at the Special Hospital Number 1 in Bytom is currently in effect until the end of August, though the hospital management warns the ward could face complete closure starting in September.

Staff Shortages Cited as the Cause

The hospital stated that the suspension of the internal medicine department is driven by a lack of medical staff, which makes it impossible to provide round-the-clock medical care in the ward.

The facility maintains it does not struggle with financial problems, emphasizing that it regularly settles remuneration resulting from both employment and contract agreements. Consequently, the current situation stems from the limited availability of internal medicine specialists on the labor market rather than delayed wage payments.

Alternative Care for Patients

Patients requiring hospitalization must seek other facilities, with the nearest emergency help available at the Provincial Special Hospital Number 4 in Bytom, the Special Hospital Number 2 in Bytom, or the Piekary Medical Center in Piekary Śląskie.

Split Salaries at the Municipal Hospital in Ruda Śląska

The Municipal Hospital in Ruda Śląska has also encountered problems, with former deputy mayor Krzysztof Majer raising the alarm on social media by revealing that hospital employees did not receive their full July wages.

According to a letter cited by Majer, hospital president Ewa Krych explained that payouts were divided into two parts due to a lack of sufficient funds. Employees received their base pay, seniority additions, function bonuses, night-shift pay, and sick benefits on August 10.

Financial Pressures Across Regional Hospitals

Agnieszka Strzelczyk, spokesperson for the Municipal Hospital in Ruda Śląska, confirmed that the first tranche of July wages arrived on August 10 and the remainder on August 12. She noted that financial problems affect most district hospitals and are not a new situation, pointing out that employees at the District Hospital in Tarnowskie Góry also received only half their July pay in August due to insufficient funds and delayed National Health Fund settlements.

According to calculations shared by Krzysztof Majer, the city transferred a total of 26.5 million PLN to the hospital company between 2022 and 2025, while the projected loss for the Municipal Hospital in Ruda Śląska in 2025 stands at over 19 million PLN.