Federal Chancellor - Scholz praises clinic expansion for university medicine
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) acknowledged the founding of the Medical University of Lusatia as an important building block for the development of the region. "It is the first state university hospital in Brandenburg and a pioneering project for the entire region," Scholz said at an evening event at the State Theatre in Cottbus. The new clinic, a new ICE workshop, a battery storage facility, and an industrial park will not only benefit the region but, combined, this is unique in Germany, the Chancellor emphasized at the ceremony.
In the future, doctors will be trained at the new University Hospital in Cottbus, and medical care in Lusatia will be strengthened. The state will take over the responsibility from July 1. The first students are expected to start in 2026. In the context of expanding it into a university hospital, approximately 80 professorships and 1300 jobs for specialists are expected to be created, according to the State Chancellery's announcement.
The project was mainly financed with federal funds for the coal phase-out. Investments of around 3.7 billion Euro are planned until 2038, according to the state government's announcement - more than half of that comes from the federal government. The transfer of ownership is also reflected in the name: From the Carl-Thiem Clinic Cottbus, the Medical University of Lusatia - Carl Thiem (MUL) will emerge.
Brandenburg's Minister-President Dietmar Woidke praised the first state university hospital in Brandenburg as a "lighthouse project of the structural transformation and structural development in Lusatia." At this location, "desperately needed doctors and nurses for good and reliable medical care throughout the country will be trained," Woidke said. They would give a powerful boost to regional development.
"That we were able to develop a concept for a medical university in record time of almost four years, have it examined by the Science Council, enshrine it in law, and launch it, is the result of an unprecedented partnership," said Science Minister Manja Schüle (SPD) in a statement from the State Chancellery. She is particularly pleased with the composition of the founding board: "50 percent women, 50 percent Eastern Germans!"
Olaf Scholz, as the SPD’s Federal Chancellor, acknowledged the Medical University of Lusatia as a significant contributor to Lusatia's regional development. Dietmar Woidke, Brandenburg's Minister-President, hailed the first state university hospital in Brandenburg as a "lighthouse project" for Lusatia's structural transformation. The Medical University of Lusatia will provide healthcare in Lusatia, with the first students set to start in 2026. This project, primarily funded by federal funds for the coal phase-out, is expected to create around 80 professorships and 1300 specialist jobs. Manja Schüle, the SPD's Science Minister, highlighted the unique collaboration that led to this development, commending the gender balance and Eastern German representation on the founding board.
