Has the privatization of the University Hospital Gießen and Marburg failed?

This question is being asked louder than ever given the country's planned cash injection of almost half a billion euros.

In February 2006, the state of Hesse sold the previously merged clinic to Rhön-Klinikum AG, despite protests from employees and doctors, the opposition in the state parliament and trade unions.

Since then, the opponents of privatization have never given up and have repeatedly called for the buyback.

They see themselves encouraged by regular complaints about too few staff and overworked staff - and now by the prospect of money.

The major investments, planned for a period of ten years, will be up for debate in the state parliament next week.

Thorsten Winter

Business editor and internet coordinator in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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And that is not only necessary because Parliament ultimately has to approve the funds.

It's a good thing, because the topic deserves an in-depth discussion.

The general works council chairman of the third largest university hospital in Germany is already prophesying that the aid will still be a political issue.

As a reminder: The clinic, known as UKGM for short, is still the only privatized hospital of its kind in Germany.

And: almost exactly 16 years ago to the day, the government under Prime Minister Roland Koch (CDU) sold 95 percent of the shares in the clinic in view of an investment backlog in the hundreds of millions.

There is talk of it again at the moment, despite privatization.

In addition, the third largest German university hospital groans under a credit burden.

Patient care could be jeopardized

The Gießen clinic director Werner Seeger made this public in the FAZ. And in the press conference with Prime Minister Volker Bouffier (CDU), Science Minister Angela Dorn (Die Grünen) and Rhön CEO Christian Höftberger, he went one step further: by also naming the sum of the interest and repayment charges, he almost stole them from the others Show. Especially since the sum can be seen in connection with Seeger's previous call for help - and the Rhön boss appeared less enthusiastic about the openness of the renowned lung specialist.

Seeger asked for help in his role as a long-standing university teacher for the following reasons: Due to the investment backlog, the clinic has been unable to buy any innovative equipment for years.

Even the replacement of indispensable routine devices, such as ultrasound devices, can now hardly be financed.

This deficiency threatens to affect medical and nursing work.

Seeger's call for help culminated in the warning: "But we are now definitely on the threshold of operational processes and patient care being endangered by the lack of replacement of medical devices and the lack of device innovation."

Now the question arises: How could this have happened?

Finally, the state sold the merged house to Rhön-Klinikum AG, so that this company would take care of investments and ensure operations.

And so that the country itself does not have to shoulder significant costs in the future.

The principles of hospital financing are important for understanding.

The health insurance companies cover the costs of treating patients.

The operators have to pay for new buildings, conversions and medical devices - but usually with counter-financing from the public sector.

This is about a municipality or the country.

In the case of UKGM, however, this has not yet been the case; the principle has rather been “deactivated”, according to Seeger.

Because, as the Ministry of Science emphasizes, Rhön rejected an agreement in 2013.

Result: no entitlement to investment funds.