MUNICH/BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - Shortly before the meeting of the federal and state governments on hospital reform, Bavaria is dampening hopes of a speedy agreement. The revised draft bill from the Federal Ministry of Health is "purely cosmetic", Bavaria's Health Minister Judith Gerlach (CSU) told the German Press Agency in Munich on Wednesday. On Thursday, the federal and state health ministers want to discuss the planned amendment to the law in Berlin.

"In the paper, Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) continues to ignore the central demands of the federal states. The minor improvements to the draft bill are far from sufficient," said Gerlach. This was "not a good omen" for the meeting of the federal-state working group.

"The hospital reform must not jeopardize inpatient care in the area," said Gerlach. Bavaria is therefore "still insisting on significant corrections to the reform plans. We will continue to oppose these encroachments on the hospital planning competence of the federal states with all our strength."

"The hospital reform can only succeed if the federal government tackles the structural financial deficits of the hospitals," said Gerlach. The short-term measures announced so far were cosmetic at best and would by no means be sufficient.

In the summer, a majority of the federal and state governments had agreed on the basic outline for a reorganization of the clinics. Preparations for a draft law have been underway for several weeks.

The reform plans envisage changing the remuneration system with flat rates for treatment cases in order to relieve hospitals of financial pressure to treat more and more cases. In future, they are to receive 60 percent of the remuneration for the provision of services. The basis for financing by the health insurance funds is to be more precisely defined groups of hospital services. They are intended to ensure uniform quality standards, for example in terms of equipment, staff and treatment experience./had/DP/men