Česky
Mr. Director, in what way was last year exceptional for the hospital in Hořovice?
I don't think last year was any different from the last few years. Our aim is to make each year better than the previous one and to bring something new and positive to our hospital, its patients and employees. Last year we celebrated the 60th anniversary of the laying of the hospital's foundation stone. Among other things, we managed to complete the reconstruction and extension of the hospital so that we could provide services to our patients in an even higher quality.
How did you manage to meet the reconstruction plan and what were the biggest investments in the hospital?
As I have already mentioned, the reconstruction of the hospital is almost complete. But that does not mean that we do not have further plans to improve it in the future. This year, after the completion and reconstruction of the operating theatres, the focus has shifted to post-operative care and care for the most difficult patients, and the reconstruction of the intensive care unit and the anaesthesiology and resuscitation department has been undertaken. Thanks to the dedication of the staff, the intensive care unit was moved to alternative premises and the reconstruction was then carried out during the summer months under uninterrupted operation. Thanks to the decision of the owner of the hospital, the ward was also retrofitted with state-of-the-art technology and today it is one of the most modern in the Czech Republic. Other projects were also completed at the hospital. In particular, the reconstruction of the outpatient wing, including the dental and ENT departments, and the construction of technical facilities for the economic parts of the hospital. The construction of a children's kindergarten on the hospital premises was also started, which should increase comfort for our employees.
In the second half of the year, the pharmacy on the hospital premises was rebuilt and significantly expanded to enable it to provide quality service to our growing number of patients. With the completion of the main works on the hospital, it was also possible to start improvements to the roads inside the hospital, and the entrance road through the lower gate of the hospital was newly opened.
What is the status of the new car park?
We see the parking problem for our patients as a priority and are very aware of the need to build a hospital car park as soon as possible. The steady increase in our patient numbers is hugely outstripping the capacity of the existing parking spaces in front of and around the hospital. We are therefore trying to resolve the situation as quickly as possible. As I have already mentioned several times, the representatives of the town of Hořovice have been very helpful by providing us with land for the construction of a parking lot. Last year we solved technical and administrative problems and at the end of last year the earthworks started. I hope that the parking lot will be completed as soon as possible this year, despite the financial and technical difficulties of this construction. The scope of the planned car park should be fully sufficient for the future and its construction should be completed after agreement with the Mayor of Hořovice Dr. Ing. Peřina, the modification of the access road to the hospital and to the new car park will also be implemented.
How are you solving the complex staffing issue in Hořovice, especially the issue of the shortage of nurses?
The shortage of medical staff is a problem that plagues our entire republic. The genesis of the situation in which the Czech health care system finds itself in terms of personnel is long-standing and quite complex. It is related to the prolonged downplaying of the problems, insufficient financing of the health sector, unsystematic changes in the system of training health professionals and other partial shortcomings. This is not to say that healthcare in the Czech Republic is at a poor level. On the contrary, I would like to emphasise its qualities, which are comparable with European standards, and to a large extent are the work of Czech health professionals. Unfortunately, it is precisely this development of our healthcare system that has been made possible for a long time, even at the expense of inadequate financial compensation for healthcare workers. In the past, this has had the effect of causing qualified healthcare workers to leave the sector for higher earnings abroad or outside the sector altogether. The shortage of qualified nurses has been significantly affected by the concept of their education, which has reduced the employability and competence of graduates of secondary medical schools and thus the interest in studying at these schools.
The current situation is such that there are so few quality nursing staff that individual hospitals are beginning to compete for them and sometimes overpay for them unreasonably. I cannot conceal the fact that the shortage of staff does not affect our hospital, we are constantly dealing with it, but fortunately we are not as badly off as some other hospitals. At this point, I must also thank our doctors and nurses because, thanks to their efforts, we have so far managed to ensure the development of the hospital and have not had to restrict operations and close wards like some other medical institutions.
If I were to summarize as briefly as possible what we do for our employees so that they enjoy their stay with us, I would first of all mention the environment of a modern hospital, our efforts to treat each employee personally, employee benefits and hopefully we are succeeding in increasing their financial remuneration according to our possibilities.
What is the situation with strengthening the medical team? Are you planning any changes in this direction?
The development of the hospital is not possible not only without quality nursing care, but also without continuous investment in training and strengthening of the medical team. At present, our hospital has a stable medical staff, individual departments have quality medical teams led by experienced chief physicians. The medical teams are continuously replenished according to the current needs of the hospital. The medical profession is associated with lifelong learning, which we try to support financially and in terms of time from the hospital management. Of course, we are always looking for and contacting experts in professions that we lack or want to expand in our hospital.
What are the hospital's priorities in terms of medical care and upgrading equipment? What are the most important projects you are planning for this year?
The completion and opening of a nursery school for the children of our employees is planned for this year. The extension of the Children's Long Term Intensive Care Unit has started and this unit, upgraded and expanded in capacity, should be relocated later this year. With the development of the hospital, the need for space to provide medical care and its technical support is growing, so in recent years we have expanded the existing departments with extensions and renovated almost all the premises. With the further growth in the volume of our care, we are now facing the next stage of the hospital's development, when its "coat" is getting tight and the need to expand is growing. With the increasing number of operations, we are mainly lacking capacity in the operating theatres, and with the desire to improve the quality of outpatient care and reduce waiting times in outpatient clinics, there is a lack of capacity. Therefore, in the coming years, our plans will be directed primarily towards building up these capacities. We are trying to become as comprehensive a hospital as possible, able to treat as wide a range of patients as possible, so that as few clients as possible from the region have to seek specialised care in large clinics and, on the other hand, so that as many people as possible come to us, even from far away, for the quality of our services.
