Hesse initiates hospital reform to centralize specialized medical services

The Hessian Ministry of Health has initiated a major restructuring of the state's hospital landscape by issuing preliminary notices regarding service groups. This move follows a 260-page hospital plan designed to implement federal reform goals by concentrating specialized medical services at fewer, highly qualified locations to improve treatment quality.

Under the new plan, several elective surgical specialties will see a reduction in the number of participating clinics. For example, pancreatic procedures will be concentrated from 23 to 15 locations, and ovarian cancer treatments will decrease from 28 to 15. Other planned reductions include knee endoprosthetics (from 66 to 50), breast cancer care (from 29 to 24), and neurosurgery (from 17 to approximately 13).

Health Minister Diana Stolz emphasized that while specialized procedures will be centralized, emergency care, maternity services, and pediatric/adolescent medicine will remain unchanged and accessible across all regions. The current notices are preliminary, allowing clinics to participate in a hearing process before final allocations are determined in December 2026, with the new structure intended to be fully operational by 2027.