Bourges Hospital Reports Activity Decline & Rising Deficit in 2025
- Bourges, France – The Centre Hospitalier (CH) de Bourges experienced a challenging 2025 financial year, reporting a deficit exceeding 5 million euros despite efforts to expand services and...
- While overall hospital activity remained moderate, there was a shift in the types of care provided.
- The 2025 deficit represents a reversal from 2024, when the hospital had managed to reduce its deficit to below 5 million euros.
Bourges, France – The Centre Hospitalier (CH) de Bourges experienced a challenging financial year, reporting a deficit exceeding 5 million euros despite efforts to expand services and increase staffing. Hospital leadership announced the financial results on .
While overall hospital activity remained moderate, there was a shift in the types of care provided. Full hospitalizations increased by 2%, but this was offset by a 3% decrease in outpatient activity. Hospital administrators plan to hold a seminar this spring to “share and structure the dynamics of care pathways,” according to reports, in an effort to understand the reasons behind the decline in outpatient visits.
The deficit represents a reversal from , when the hospital had managed to reduce its deficit to below 5 million euros. Total expenses for reached 238 million euros, largely due to a significant increase in staffing levels since .
Staffing Increases and New Facilities
Over the past two years, the number of physicians at the CH de Bourges has increased by 52%. The hospital also significantly reduced the number of vacant positions among non-medical staff, halving it from levels reported in June . In alone, the hospital recruited 36 physicians, offsetting 19 departures, primarily due to retirement. 80 registered nurses (IDE) were hired, though 24 IDE positions remain vacant, including 12 night shifts.
Despite the financial strain, the hospital continued to invest in expanding its services. Several new units were inaugurated in the latter part of , including a polyvalent intensive care unit (Usip) and a dental center, both opening in September . The new dental service represents a 1 million euro investment, with half of the funding coming from the regional health agency (ARS) Centre-Val de Loire. The facility now includes three dental chairs, an increase from one previously.
In December , the hospital also opened its Women’s Health House, connected to the emergency services of the Cher territorial hospital group (GHT). The Women’s Health House team includes a forensic physician, a general practitioner, a gynecologist, a midwife, a psychologist, a nurse, a social worker, a medical secretary, and a health manager. As of early , the facility had served nearly 70 patients.
To address winter pressures on the emergency department, the hospital activated its new seasonal winter unit (USH) for the first time in early January. Approximately 40 patients have been treated in the unit, which is equipped with 15 medical beds.
The hospital also joined the regional medical imaging platform (Pimm) in December , launched in by the ARS. This service of tele-radiology centralizes the interpretation of urgent scanner and MRI exams and coordinates regional on-call schedules during evenings, weekends, and holidays. The platform is staffed by a team of 20 radiologists from 11 public hospitals.
Future Developments
Construction is underway on a new nursing home (Ehpad) in Taillegrain. Following the demolition of the former nursing training institute (Ifsi) building, work on the main structure is expected to continue through the summer, with completion anticipated in the fall of . The new facility will have a capacity of 98 beds, and the project costs over 14 million euros, with support from the departmental council of Cher and the ARS.
The hospital is also planning a significant expansion of its nephrology-hemodialysis services in . Several activity authorizations have been received for the medical dialysis unit (UDM), self-dialysis, and home dialysis. A project to create the UDM is scheduled to begin by the end of , adding four additional dialysis stations and eight more dialysis sessions per day, to meet growing population needs.
The hospital is also working to digitize administrative procedures to reduce wait times at the admissions desk. This initiative, launched in 12 services, will be gradually extended to all departments throughout .
As part of a joint governance structure with the CH de Sancerre (Cher), established less than a year ago, the hospital is undertaking a modernization project for the CH de Sancerre’s social medical building, at a cost of 16 million euros. The project is currently in the study and planning phase.
Finally, recognizing the increasing number of interns, the hospital is restructuring the Château des Gadeaux – where interns are housed – to create more modern and welcoming spaces in . Long-term plans include building a new intern residence with 120 spaces.