Julien Spacio is no longer the general director of Admed. But the revelations of the RTS just after the announcement of his departure are enough to tarnish the credibility of the medical analysis and diagnosis laboratory, whose main outlet is the public hospital. And as Admed’s services are financed by bonuses from Neuchâtel residents, the question of state control of this private law foundation arises.
Frédéric Mairy, State Councilor in charge of Health, and Philippe Eckert, chairman of the board of directors of the Neuchâtel Hospital Network (RHNe), try to reassure. Is there a conflict of interest when a co-director of RHNe, Muriel Desaulles, is also the president of Admed? “From the start, five of the twelve members of the Admed foundation board are members of the RHNe, it is statutory,” recalls Philippe Eckert.
Frédéric Mairy emphasizes that “the prices for analyzes are set by the Confederation. So, it is not Admed which would decide to set prices at this or that height, on which questionable behavior would have an influence. Therefore, we cannot make a link between the events that were made public (…) and the impact that it would have on health costs in the canton. »
The president of the public hospital is waiting for his partner, Admed, to resolve its governance crisis and take the necessary measures to restore financial balance.
The priority, for Frédéric Mairy, is that “the quality of Admed’s services remains assured. She always was. The foundation board now needs to equip itself with an interim director so that the quality of services is maintained. » And once the crisis is over? The State Councilor in charge of Health recalls that Admed “is a structure which dates from 2006. It is relevant, around twenty years later, to take stock of the situation, but it is a work of reflection which can be carried out.
The Council of State, which has just responded to a postulate which is not linked to this affair, notes, according to the Minister of Health, that “there are a large number of private actors in this canton who assume public tasks and that it is entirely relevant to think, during the next legislature, about a framework law which would define the mode of governance of these entities and what we put in place in terms of surveillance.
Do Admed’s current torments jeopardize its 41.5 million francs consolidation project in the Monruz building? On this subject, our sources suggest that the construction site should restart soon. /vco
Swiss
