Privatization of university hospitals. A promising option?: Giessen's experience from the viewpoint of research and teaching

摘要

Giessen's experience with and insight into the privatization of university hospitals reveal privatization as a promising option. Important for the process in Giessen was the highly complex and difficult starting point of the medical campus as it was in 2005 and the years prior to that. The political pressure on the medical campus as well as the backlog of investments of about 200 Mio EUR and a high financial deficit led to the medical school's unanimous decision in favor of a privatization model. The state government established the necessary legal prerequisites for the cooperation between a publicly sponsored medical school and a private hospital (UKGM GmbH, Rhon AG), guaranteeing freedom in scientific research. In spite of the positive outcome of the privatization reported here, it cannot be viewed as final due to the short timeframe of the experience. However, it can be mentioned with certainty that the investments already realized and the ones that are still certain to come provide a reliable basis for the future competitiveness of Giessen's location as far as medical health care, research, and teaching are concerned.