Inauguration of the “Angelika Lautenschläger Hospital” on the University of Heidelberg Campus
1 April 2008
At a ceremony on 31 March minister-president of Baden-Württemberg Günther Oettinger paid tribute to the generosity and commitment of donor Manfred Lautenschläger and the high standards of medical care and research at the University of Heidelberg
In the presence of prominent representatives of the state government of Baden-Württemberg, the new "Angelika Lautenschläger Hospital” building was inaugurated on the University of Heidelberg campus on 31 March 2008 as an integral part of the Heidelberg University Hospital. At a ceremony attended by over 300 guests, minister-president Günther Oettinger and finance minister Gerhard Stratthaus commended the appealing architecture and the child-friendly design of the building and paid tribute to the generosity and commitment of Heidelberg donor Manfred Lautenschläger, whose gift of 13.8 million euros made the construction of this new children’s hospital in Heidelberg possible in the first place.
The Angelika Lautenschläger Hospital, called after the donor’s wife, will be ready to receive the hospital staff on 31 May 2008. It has a floor area of 7,660 square meters. Inpatient and outpatient departments are housed in a colourful five-storey cube connected to three other one-storey sections, the entrance hall, the department of diagnostics and the apartments for parents. The construction of the last-named section was supported to the tune of 1.5 million euros by the "Krebsranke Kinder e.V.” society. The building was designed by the renowned Munich architects Nickl + Partners.
"No” to the privatisation of university medicine in Baden-Württemberg
Minister-president Oettinger spoke of a "red-letter day for the children of Baden-Württemberg” and pointed out that the hospital was not only fully geared to the needs of children but also held out excellent prospects for high-quality research and teaching. He went on to describe the new building as a major asset for Heidelberg University Hospital as one of the leading medical care and research centres in Europe.
The minister-president went on to declare his allegiance to university medical care and research, indicating that the state of Baden-Württemberg had no plans to resort to the privatisation of its university hospitals in the bid to put its budget on a sounder footing. Oettinger announced his intention of engaging in an open-minded and unprejudiced discussion of the forthcoming strategic study on the future of university medicine with the representatives of the university hospitals and medical faculties. At present this study is being elaborated by Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. It was commissioned by the state government and will be published in the next few weeks.
In addition, Oettinger spoke out in favour of quashing the existing cost-containment regulations pertaining to university hospital budgets. These regulations, he said, were no longer compatible with the exacting quality standards required in the provision of medical care. His announcements were welcomed emphatically by Professor Dr. Rüdiger Siewert, chief medical director of Heidelberg University Hospital, who subsequently requested the state government to bring about a legal clarification of the turnover tax issue for university hospitals, which otherwise might engender further serious financial problems.
Personal encounter crucial for donor’s commitment
Only with generous support from sponsors has Heidelberg University Hospital been able to maintain and improve its standards of medical care and research over the last few years. Manfred Lautenschläger told his audience that a personal encounter had been a clinching factor in his decision to make such a substantial donation. This was his meeting with former chief medical director Professor Eike Martin, who turned to him for assistance six years ago. Professor Martin’s visionary realism visions and intense personal commitment made a profound impression on him, Manfred Lautenschläger said, and the initiative had been wholeheartedly supported from the outset by his wife Angelika. Lautenschläger, a member of the supervisory board of Heidelberg University Hospital and of the University Council, appealed to the politicians to uphold their commitment to Heidelberg by financing further university buildings. "We have plenty of excellent software ready and waiting in the Heidelberg hospital landscape,” he said. "But we need the hardware to go with it.”
Work will begin this year on the next building on the agenda, the Women’s Hospital – complete with neonatology and child surgery departments and situated right next to the Children’s Hospital. Professor Siewert said that he expected the ring of hospitals on the University campus to be rounded off in the course of the next few years with the construction of a new building for the Surgical Hospital.
Please address any inquiries to
Dr. Annette Tuffs
Press and Public Relations Officer
Heidelberg University Hospital
Medical Faculty of the University of Heidelberg
Im Neuenheimer Feld 672
D-69120 Heidelberg
phone: 06221/564536
fax: 06221/564544
e-mail: annette_tuffs (at) med.uni-heidelberg.de
Dr. Michael Schwarz
Public Information Officer
University of Heidelberg
phone: 06221/542310, fax: 542317
michael.schwarz@rektorat.uni-heidelberg.de
The Angelika Lautenschläger Hospital, called after the donor’s wife, will be ready to receive the hospital staff on 31 May 2008. It has a floor area of 7,660 square meters. Inpatient and outpatient departments are housed in a colourful five-storey cube connected to three other one-storey sections, the entrance hall, the department of diagnostics and the apartments for parents. The construction of the last-named section was supported to the tune of 1.5 million euros by the "Krebsranke Kinder e.V.” society. The building was designed by the renowned Munich architects Nickl + Partners.
"No” to the privatisation of university medicine in Baden-Württemberg
Minister-president Oettinger spoke of a "red-letter day for the children of Baden-Württemberg” and pointed out that the hospital was not only fully geared to the needs of children but also held out excellent prospects for high-quality research and teaching. He went on to describe the new building as a major asset for Heidelberg University Hospital as one of the leading medical care and research centres in Europe.
The minister-president went on to declare his allegiance to university medical care and research, indicating that the state of Baden-Württemberg had no plans to resort to the privatisation of its university hospitals in the bid to put its budget on a sounder footing. Oettinger announced his intention of engaging in an open-minded and unprejudiced discussion of the forthcoming strategic study on the future of university medicine with the representatives of the university hospitals and medical faculties. At present this study is being elaborated by Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. It was commissioned by the state government and will be published in the next few weeks.
In addition, Oettinger spoke out in favour of quashing the existing cost-containment regulations pertaining to university hospital budgets. These regulations, he said, were no longer compatible with the exacting quality standards required in the provision of medical care. His announcements were welcomed emphatically by Professor Dr. Rüdiger Siewert, chief medical director of Heidelberg University Hospital, who subsequently requested the state government to bring about a legal clarification of the turnover tax issue for university hospitals, which otherwise might engender further serious financial problems.
Personal encounter crucial for donor’s commitment
Only with generous support from sponsors has Heidelberg University Hospital been able to maintain and improve its standards of medical care and research over the last few years. Manfred Lautenschläger told his audience that a personal encounter had been a clinching factor in his decision to make such a substantial donation. This was his meeting with former chief medical director Professor Eike Martin, who turned to him for assistance six years ago. Professor Martin’s visionary realism visions and intense personal commitment made a profound impression on him, Manfred Lautenschläger said, and the initiative had been wholeheartedly supported from the outset by his wife Angelika. Lautenschläger, a member of the supervisory board of Heidelberg University Hospital and of the University Council, appealed to the politicians to uphold their commitment to Heidelberg by financing further university buildings. "We have plenty of excellent software ready and waiting in the Heidelberg hospital landscape,” he said. "But we need the hardware to go with it.”
Work will begin this year on the next building on the agenda, the Women’s Hospital – complete with neonatology and child surgery departments and situated right next to the Children’s Hospital. Professor Siewert said that he expected the ring of hospitals on the University campus to be rounded off in the course of the next few years with the construction of a new building for the Surgical Hospital.
Please address any inquiries to
Dr. Annette Tuffs
Press and Public Relations Officer
Heidelberg University Hospital
Medical Faculty of the University of Heidelberg
Im Neuenheimer Feld 672
D-69120 Heidelberg
phone: 06221/564536
fax: 06221/564544
e-mail: annette_tuffs (at) med.uni-heidelberg.de
Dr. Michael Schwarz
Public Information Officer
University of Heidelberg
phone: 06221/542310, fax: 542317
michael.schwarz@rektorat.uni-heidelberg.de
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