The University Medical Centre Groningen doubled its profits between 2016 and 2017.
Translation by Traci White
The Groninger Internet Courant reports that the profits are attributed to one off circumstances, namely vacancies going unfilled, which kept personnel costs low, and the implementation of an electronic medical records system.
Because the hospital has been struggling to fill the open positions, they are planning to allocate extra resources to training new staff this year: there will be 10 percent more nursing students in 2018 than 2017, and the hospital will work together with other regional hospitals to train more anaesthesiologists, surgical assistants, clinical perfusionists (staff to operate cardiopulmonary bypass machines) and other clinical support staff.
RTV Noord writes despite the dramatic increase in profits, their incidental nature means that the hospital will continue with a cost-savings programme that began in 2016 and will run through 2020.
According to the hospital, the hospital has enough money to guarantee the quality of complex care, research and education despite the cost-cutting measures. The academic hospital cites their operation centre, their intensive care unit and the development of the Acute Care Centre as examples of priorities under the current financial strategy.