Germany Begins Hospital Overhaul with Focus on Centralization

The newly approved federal reform aims to improve care through specialized centers, but concerns grow over rural access and longer wait times.

The German federal government has approved a major hospital reform, leaving implementation to individual states like Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate.
The reform emphasizes centralization and specialization, concentrating complex treatments in fewer, more advanced facilities.
Experts foresee potential challenges, including longer travel distances for patients in rural areas and possible increases in wait times for certain treatments.
Urban areas are expected to remain relatively stable, but rural regions face risks of diminished emergency and general healthcare access.
Some smaller hospitals, already under financial strain, may merge or close, as seen with the recent takeover of the Krankenhaus Sachsenhausen by Frankfurt University Hospital.