Vaud: Yverdon hospital could leave the city

– Yverdon hospital could leave the city

Abysmal additional costs led to the freezing of the “eHnv of the future” project. Different scenarios are emerging and there is no guarantee that the site will remain in the heart of the capital.

Posted today at 6:08 a.m.

Built in 1988, the Yverdon Hospital absolutely must be transformed.

PATRICK MARTIN

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What if the new Yverdon hospital was built elsewhere than in Yverdon? “Today, nothing is taboo,” assures Jean-Blaise Wasserfallen. The president of the steering committee of the Établissements hospitaliers du Nord Vaudois (eHnv) is visibly beginning to digest the abysmal additional cost which hits hard the extension and transformation project of this building erected in 1988.

As a result of the pre-project phase which came to an end this spring, a final estimate was 180 million francs higher than the 308 million in the initial estimate. Not to mention the additional 7 million that the construction of the silo parking which must accompany the new building should cost.

The very poor quality of the subsoil (from a seismic and geological point of view) and the increase in construction costs are the main causes of this hard blow, which fortunately occurs before the arrival of the excavators.

The eHnv held their annual general meeting on Thursday evening. The opportunity to talk about a future whose form is more than ever called into question, but also to look back on the past financial year. In terms of activities, 2023 proved to be a busy year, even if slightly behind compared to 2022. This is shown by the figures below.

Bottom line: 3.97 million losses (compared to 3.2 million in 2022). Much better than the budget, which forecast a deficit of 4.6 million.

Exploitation product: 205 million (208 in 2022).

Outpatient consultations: 150’910 (193,196 in 2022).

Operations: 7838 (7,832 in 2022), including 4321 (4932 in 2022) in outpatient settings, i.e. 55%.

Births: 900 (950 in 2022).

Hospitalization stays: 12,940 (13,259 in 2022).

Collaborators: 1640 for 1275 FTEs (1642 in 2022).

Only one hospital in the end?

Caught up by the cold reality of the figures, the board of directors had no other choice but to suspend the program “eHnv of the future” until mid-July, just to see more clearly among the different draft scenarios that are emerging.

The grouping of acute care activities (planned in Yverdon) and rehabilitation activities (in Orbe) in a single location is part of this. Also taking into consideration a site other than Yverdon. “But where? The soils of the Orbe plain are also very complicated. The most stable are in Chamblon and Saint-Loup. We would still have to find an area of 4 to 5 hectares there and legalize it,” notes general director Marc Allemann. In any case, nothing can be done without significant political support.

Two things are certain, however. On the one hand, the status quo is not a viable option. “The maintenance costs of the aging infrastructure at our four existing sites are too high,” says Marc Allemann. On the other hand, the eHnvs will not be able to exceed the envelope of 400 million at their disposal.

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