Health policy - The Kartellamt prohibits the Heidelberg-Mannheim Clinic Association
The Cartel Office has prohibited a partnership between the Universities Hospitals Heidelberg and Mannheim. The authority announced this after a lengthy investigation process. The state of Baden-Württemberg and the city of Mannheim aim to form a partnership of the houses in order to retain the high-deficit Mannheim location and create a "European lighthouse project of medicine," as former Mayor Peter Kurz (SPD) stated in the past year. The state is the owner of the Heidelberg site, and the city of Mannheim is the owner of the local University Clinic.
In the desired partnership, both hospitals were supposed to closely collaborate on medical, economic, and scientific levels without losing their independent profiles. According to the Ministry of Science, the state cannot afford to forego the research and training capacities of the University Clinic Mannheim. There are reportedly 270 places for beginning students and a total of 2,000 places for Human Medicine. It was planned that the University Clinic Heidelberg would be the majority shareholder of the Mannheim University Clinic.
The state can apply for a ministerial permit
The University Clinic in Mannheim incurs high losses - losses so high that the state has had to provide significant support to the clinic since 2021. The clinic expects a deficit of 99 million Euros for 2025, according to city statements.
The partnership is not off the table with the decision of the Cartel Office. The state can now apply for a ministerial permit at the Federal Ministry of Economics. In this process, the question of a partnership would also be examined with regard to the common good - the effects on research, healthcare, and education.
The University Hospital Heidelberg reportedly has nearly 2,600 beds and over 86,000 stationary and more than one million ambulant patients per year. With 10,700 employees, it is one of the major employers in the region. In the Mannheim building, around 4,300 employees work. They treat nearly 45,000 stationary and over 170,000 ambulant patients.
The prohibition by the Cartel Office affects the intended partnership between the Universities Hospitals in Heidelberg and Mannheim, both located in the state of Baden-Württemberg. The Mannheim University Clinic, owned by the city, relies heavily on research and training capacities provided by the University Clinic Heidelberg. Despite the Cartel Office's decision, the possibility of a partnership is still under consideration, as the state can apply for a ministerial permit at the Federal Ministry of Economics for further evaluation. This process will examine the impact on research, healthcare, and education in both hospitals.
