While the state's talks with the majority owner Rhön-Klinikum AG about state financial aid for the privatized university hospital in Gießen and Marburg are stalling, the third-largest facility of its kind in Germany not only has to prepare for further warning strikes from Tuesday.

With the walkout, non-medical employees are once again demanding safe working conditions in the ongoing collective bargaining dispute and are opposing a possible downsizing.

There are also allegations by the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians against the long-Covid outpatient clinics of the UKGM clinic.

The representation of the resident doctors therefore also sees financial interests behind the commitment of the researchers in Central Hesse to patients after a corona infection.

Thorsten Winter

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

  • Follow I follow

Meanwhile, the state and the majority owner not only seem to disagree on the question of whether the state of Hesse has an investment obligation towards the UKGM.

Rhön AG affirms this and refers to the usual hospital financing - the country sees it differently.

In addition, according to information from the FAZ, the question is how the prospect of state subsidies totaling 490 million euros would be valued in the event of a sale.

Science Minister Angela Dorn (Die Grünen) said: "In my talks at the university hospital, I perceive that some people outside the negotiating group are aware of the last open point." And: "Assuming this would be the last open point: what we don't accept is that in such a case the country's investment funds increase the selling price,

make the sale even more attractive or we as a country pay twice.” That goes without saying.

Budgetary law sets clear limits for the ministry here.

“This allegation is completely unfounded”

As can be seen from a confidential document available to the FAZ, the university hospital has invested more than 123 million euros in its own funds at both locations since 2017.

The agreement with the country provided for more than 100 million euros.

It is unclear whether the 123 million euros, apart from funds generated by UKGM and loans granted to the clinic by Rhön AG, contain the group's own funds.

In the meantime, the clinic has rejected the accusation by the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians that it only treats patients with long-lasting symptoms after a Covid 19 infection at its two locations for financial reasons.

"This allegation is completely unfounded," says Bernhard Schieffer, director of the Department of Cardiology at the University Hospital in Marburg.

The post-Covid outpatient clinics were set up at the so-called coordinating hospitals in the Corona supply areas in Hesse.

Because most patients with Covid-19 have been treated at these clinics since the beginning of the pandemic.

The medical staff at the university hospitals have seen this complex clinical picture for the first time and are researching it.

Research and development of successful treatment methods and medicines are the original task of university medicine.

The UKGM published study results to soon have something against post-Covid in hand.