(14 October 2021) A new research project by the European Network of Corporate Observatories network maps the landscape of private for profit hospitals and nursing homes companies active in Europe. The commodification of the health sector has been a constant process for several decades; both at the level of international institutions (WHO but also IMF, World Bank and World Trade Organization and European or national institutions. The policies put in place - whose mantras are liberalisation, privatisation and deregulation - have largely favoured the development of a profit driven sector in health and care. If the pharmaceutical sector and its multinationals with gigantic profits is fairly well documented, this is not the case for the hospital sector or the sector of institutions for the elderly. This project aims to fill the gap. EPSU has been providing support to the project.
The project makes available an interactive map on privatisation, cases studies (on German chain Asklepios and UK company Bupa), the story of the investment company Penta seeking to benefit from private health, lobby work of private companies in Germany towards the German liberal party FDP and how the WHO organisation takes over the mantra of the private sector. More is to come.
Extend of Private for profit hospitals and care homes according to the findings
In France, 24 % of the hospitals beds/ 22 % of the nursing homes beds.
In Germany : 30 % of the hospitals beds/40 % of the nursing homes beds
In Spain : 19 % of the hospitals beds/53 % of the nursing homes beds
In Italy : 29,5 % of the hospitals beds/22 % of the nursing homes beds
In Portugal : 11 % of the hospitals beds/25 % of the nursing homes beds
In Austria : 32,5 % of the hospitals beds/48 % of the nursing homes beds
In Poland : 18 % of the hospitals beds/5 % of the nursing homes beds
In the Czech Republic : 14,9 % of the hospitals beds/3 % of the nursing homes beds
in Austria : 13,9 % of the hospitals beds/21 % of the nursing homes beds
In Ireland : 8,5 % of the hospitals beds/65 % of the nursing homes beds
For more information
https://corpwatchers.eu/en/investigations/caring-for-profit-en
Mapping the privatisation of healthcare in Europe (also in FR and ES)
wo case studies by CorpWatch : Asklepios and Bupa
Asklepios Kliniken under fire for staffing shortages and hospital closures
Bupa aged care homes in Australia & the UK regularly rated ‘inadequate’
Case study on Penta: Penta in Slovakia : from real estate to private clinics
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