Uncertain future for Maternite Alpine

  05.08.2020 Gstaad Living

Compared to the previous year, many more women from the Saanenland took advantage of the Maternité Alpine birth centre in Zweisimmen in 2019. But despite rising birth figures and good occupancy rates, the birth centre is struggling to survive.

A glance at the statistics of the Maternité Alpine birth centre in Zweisimmen shows that the number of women and children from the Saanenland who were admitted to the birth centre for childbirth, post-partum or during pregnancy has risen significantly: from 46 (2018) to 84 last year. If the entire catchment area of the birth centre is considered, i.e. the Simmental, the Saanenland, the Pays-d’Enhaut and other regions, the numbers rose from 152 (2018) to 169.

Although these figures are cause for celebration, the outlook is somewhat clouded. Despite good capacity utilisation, the 2019 annual accounts show a deficit of around CHF 221,000. This is not a problem yet; for the time being the deficit is covered with donations. But in the long term, operations cannot be maintained in this way.

High demand
The inpatient and outpatient services of the birth centre increased from 776 (2018) to 976 and the birth figures also confirm this development. While 48 children saw the light of day in the Maternité Alpine in 2018, this figure rose to 61 in 2019. And yet this is not enough to run the birth centre on a self-sustaining basis.

The strict cantonal regulations are part of the problem. Women who are at medical risk are not allowed in the birth centre. As a consequence, every second request for a birth in the birth centre had to be rejected in 2019.

With normal access to an operating theatre this problem would be solved. This would enable considerably more women to give birth to their child in Zweisimmen, so that the operation could be break-even. The hope in this respect now lies on the planned health campus in Zweisimmen.

The positive feedback confirms that the quality of care and assistance is high. With a response rate of 46%, the expectations of the mothers-to-be on a scale of one to seven were fulfilled to 100 percent. The overall impression was also rated as excellent with 99%.

But without donations the birth centre has no future at the moment. The Friends of the birth centre are actively collecting donations. Rosmarie Willener, president of the Friends, made a fiery appeal to the population to support the Maternité Alpine or to become a member of the Friends. “The contribution for an individual member is only CHF 50 per year, which is less than one franc per week for a good cause.”

BASED ON AVS/KEREM S. MAURER


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