The closure happened in stages: the emergency room and surgery department had already been out of service for a year, and now the last remaining wards have followed. The association ‘Zukunft Elbinsel’ spoke of a day of mourning, but also of gratitude for the nursing staff and doctors who had cared for the people in Wilhelmsburg.
Originally, a so-called neighborhood clinic was supposed to be built on the same site. But negotiations between the Catholic Archdiocese and the city have been stalled for months. The social authority said upon inquiry that several hospital operators were interested in such a facility, but did not give a concrete timeline.
The association ‘Zukunft Elbinsel’ criticized that nothing had happened for a year and that there was no trace of a concept. In Wilhelmsburg, 100 people took to the streets to protest again against the closure of the hospital. The Archdiocese of Hamburg stated that it was not the church but the social authority that had halted the sale negotiations. How medical care for the district will continue remains unclear.
Source: www.ndr.de
