Maintain Wittstock as a medically focused location where feasible.
In early September, a round table discussion is being planned to deliberate on the future of the hospital in Wittstock/Dosse, which is scheduled to close by January 1, 2027, due to hospital reform requirements. The operating company, KMG Clinics North Brandenburg, has shown openness to possible further use of the facility.
The hospital reform, which has been in effect since January 1, requires states to assign performance groups to their clinics by the end of 2026. KMG Clinics, the operator company of the Wittstock hospital, has a care mandate and will be held accountable by Brandenburg's health minister, Britta Müller.
Müller and Wittstock/Dosse's mayor, Philipp Wacker, are planning to keep the hospital in Wittstock/Dosse open following its planned closure. The mayor emphasizes the need for a permanent emergency room and cardiac care at the hospital. Müller states that there will be no structural change without alternative care options, and emergency care must be guaranteed in the long term.
Current efforts to secure continued medical care in Wittstock/Dosse primarily involve coordination through the Universitätsklinikum Ruppin-Brandenburg, which functions as a central medical provider for the region including Ostprignitz-Ruppin. This university hospital offers round-the-clock emergency services and integrates medical expertise, modern care, research, and training to ensure comprehensive coverage for patients in the area.
The future of the hospital in Wittstock/Dosse is under discussion, with the SPD/BSW coalition wanting to maintain all hospital locations, but not necessarily as clinics, under the hospital reform. Many regions, including Wittstock/Dosse, are not sufficiently considered in the hospital reform, according to Müller.
Müller plans to speak with the head of KMG Clinics in the coming week. The cardiology and gastroenterology departments of the Wittstock hospital are to be transferred to the Pritzwalk clinic (Prignitz). Müller relies on a closer interlinking of hospitals and doctor's practices under the hospital reform, but acknowledges that this may lead to longer journeys to the doctor.
In the absence of explicit details about their individual roles, it can be reasonably inferred that both officials would likely be involved in advocating for transitional healthcare arrangements, supporting expansions or reinforcements of nearby facilities such as the Universitätsklinikum Ruppin-Brandenburg, and communicating plans to citizens to manage the impact of the hospital closure.
Thus, the main structural assurance for medical care post-closure seems to rest on the regional university hospital system with likely political support from health and local government leaders, though precise actions of Müller and Wacker in Wittstock/Dosse are not detailed in the provided information.
The hospital reform discussions involve the consideration of the future role of the Wittstock/Dosse hospital, moving beyond its closure in 2027. The health minister, Britta Müller, and the mayor, Philipp Wacker, are advocating for the integration of the hospital's emergency room and cardiac care into the existing health-and-wellness system, such as the Universitätsklinikum Ruppin-Brandenburg, to ensure continued medical-conditions care for residents.
