There are no resolutions to close the ion beam therapy center for the treatment of cancer at the privatized university hospital in Marburg.
This is made clear by Christian Hoeftberger, CEO of the Rhön-Klinikum, the owner of the university hospital, in a press release.
He is referring to a press report about the alleged imminent end of the plant.
When asked about this, he only answered what was known for a long time: The energy shortage is now added to the difficulties with the supply of spare parts and the medical indication.
The manufacturer Siemens Healthineers has stopped further development of the system.
This makes the procurement of spare parts difficult or even impossible in the medium term.
For purely technical reasons, no one can therefore give an unlimited guarantee for continued operation.
In addition, significantly fewer patients than expected have received radiation in the facility – one of two in Germany – since it went into operation in 2015.
So she is in deficit.
No obligation to operate
The operation of this system requires an extremely large amount of energy, explains Höftberger.
In view of the current energy shortage, this leads to massively increasing costs.
Against the background of the latest calls for energy savings by leading politicians, the question arises as to whether continued operation should be discussed.
The variously expressed concerns about power grid overload (above all due to electric fan heaters as a substitute for gas heating) should also be included in the considerations.
The Chairman of the Board emphasizes that Rhön-Klinikum has fully fulfilled all agreements made with the state of Hesse regarding MIT.
There is therefore no longer any obligation to operate.
However, the state government was offered to continue operating the particle therapy system as long as this was technically possible.
For this it is necessary that the state of Hesse fulfills its legal obligations and provides the University Hospital Gießen and Marburg (UKGM) with adequate funding – as is the case with all other hospitals and is required by law.
Land and Rhön have been at loggerheads for a long time
The board of directors of the Rhön-Klinikum offered the state government to take over the system for a symbolic purchase price and to continue to operate it independently.
"We still stand by this offer," says Höftberger.
The state and Rhön-Klinikum AG have been at odds over financing for a long time.
The Ministry of Science reacted with irritation to Höftberger's statements.
“Rhön and Asklepios have to decide what they want.
Are you interested in a public staging or are you interested in a future-oriented solution for the University Hospital Gießen and Marburg on the basis of the agreement signed by both parties," says a statement.
With the 120 million euro MIT system, tumors can be shot at with pinpoint accuracy, while the surrounding tissue is spared.
In a particle accelerator with a diameter of 28 meters, protons or carbon ions are brought up to 75 percent of the speed of light, bundled with a magnet and then shot at the cancer cells.
Two years ago, the Rhön-Klinikum announced that it wanted to operate the cancer therapy center, which uses cutting-edge medical technology, on a long-term basis.