For months there was radio silence between the state of Hesse and Rhön-Klinikum AG.

Now, however, both shareholders of the University Hospital Gießen and Marburg (UKGM) have agreed on a new contract for the future for the third largest German hospital of this type.

Accordingly, both sides want to invest 800 million euros in the Gießen and Marburg locations over the next ten years.

The UKGM continues to refrain from redundancies and the spin-off of parts of the business, as both sides explain.

Rhön AG holds 95 percent of the house, which was privatized in 2006, while the state holds the rest of the shares.

In January, the state had already offered 490 million euros for a total of ten years as aid for investments in buildings and medical technology.

Thorsten Winter

Correspondent for the Rhein-Main-Zeitung for central Hesse and the Wetterau.

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However, the agreement beyond this declaration of intent dragged on because both sides had gotten stuck on a fundamental legal issue: Rhön AG emphasized the state's obligation to provide ongoing support to the UKGM and referred to the corresponding practices in German hospital financing - the state but wanted nothing to do with this duty.

So there was a stalemate.

Secure health care as well as research and teaching

“We are confident that we have now clarified all key points in order to be able to translate them into a contractual agreement by the end of January.

In order not to leave any loopholes, the parties also agree to extend the existing agreements until the end of February at the latest,” said Minister of Science Angela Dorn and Minister of Finance Michael Boddenberg, as well as representatives of the majority owner.

"In this way we are giving all employees of the UKGM and the Universities of Giessen and Marburg a clear signal to secure the clinic in the areas of patient care as well as research and teaching in good time before Christmas."

The negotiating groups on both sides worked out the details in three lengthy meetings.

Before that, there had been a top-level discussion between the Hessian Prime Minister Boris Rhein and the Asklepios shareholder Bernard Grosse Broermann on the UKGM.