Czech Health Minister Vojtěch Defends Plan to Keep Small Maternity Wards Open

The regional health authority Krajská zdravotní, which runs six maternity hospitals in the Ústecký kraji, reported that only half of its facilities exceed the 600‑births‑per‑year benchmark. The authority stresses that the 600‑birth threshold is only an indicator and that closing any ward would jeopardise regional access to obstetric care, especially for residents of the Šluknov area.

Health Minister Adam Vojtěch said the Ministry of Health will present a new gyne‑obstetric care concept in the autumn, emphasizing quality, safety and geographic accessibility rather than a simple birth‑count rule. He suggested that very low‑volume units could be repurposed for services needed by an ageing population, such as long‑term care, but reiterated that no blanket order to shut maternity wards will be issued. Decisions on individual facilities will be made through negotiations between hospital operators and health insurers, who may refuse to fund units with fewer than 600 births per year.

Both officials called for a balanced approach that considers birth numbers, procedural volumes and the need to maintain care for mothers in remote regions.