Healthcare is facing far-reaching changes, particularly as a result of the hospital reform, which came into force on 12 December 2024. Against this backdrop, OTH Regensburg hosted a healthcare dialogue under the motto ‘Networking outpatient and inpatient care’. Numerous representatives from politics, science and practice discussed the effects of the reform on patient care. Bavaria's Minister of Health, Judith Gerlach, recognised OTH Regensburg as an important player for Bavaria as a healthcare location.
‘Due to its commitment to the academisation of healthcare professions, our university sees itself as an active shaper of the quality of care. Through close cooperation with regional and national partners, we contribute to the continuous improvement of healthcare,’ emphasised Prof. Dr Klaudia Winkler, former Vice President of OTH Regensburg and now responsible for the central development focus of healthcare.
In his welcoming address, the event's director, Prof. Dr Joachim Grifka, emphasised the difficult tasks facing healthcare providers. The central question is: ‘How much health can or do we still want to afford?’ Grifka continued: ‘With a reduction in the number of hospitals, we must ensure the provision of care through effective restructuring and coordination between outpatient and inpatient treatment.’
A particular highlight of the event was the presentation by Bavaria's Minister of Health, Judith Gerlach. She emphasised the importance of closely interlinking science and practice in order to overcome the challenges of the hospital reform. Gerlach emphasised: ‘The hospital reform is now accelerating the necessary structural adjustments in the hospital sector, at least in principle, in view of the high costs and, in some cases, no longer adequate bed capacity utilisation. We are supporting the hospitals in this reorganisation. This requires individual solutions that make it possible to respond to the specific characteristics of each federal state, rather than a rigid, standardised nationwide grid. The interaction between hospital owners, local authorities, science and those responsible in the region is crucial so that customised and sensible solutions for the future can be found locally.’
The presentation was followed by a multi-layered discussion, moderated by Bernhard Seidenath, Chairman of the Committee for Health, Care and Prevention in the Bavarian State Parliament. Various perspectives on the hospital reform and its implementation were examined. Regensburg District Administrator Tanja Schweiger, for example, wanted to know what criteria would be used to decide which hospitals would be able to offer which services in the future. MdL Bernhard Seidenath replied that regional conferences would be the best way to coordinate.
OTH Regensburg as a leading location for healthcare degree programmes
With the health dialogue, OTH Regensburg once again provided important impetus for the further development of healthcare. As the ‘Health University of Bavaria’, it is actively involved in the academisation of healthcare professions and contributes to the sustainable improvement of patient care.
In recent years, OTH Regensburg has established itself as an important location for health-related degree programmes. With the broadest range of courses in Bavaria - from nursing and physiotherapy to speech therapy and midwifery, as well as medical technology and medical informatics - it offers excellent training for healthcare professionals.
The university also sets standards in research: facilities such as the Regensburg Center of Biomedical Engineering and the Regensburg Center of Health Sciences and Technology combine interdisciplinary expertise to develop innovative solutions for the healthcare sector.
Another important milestone is the new doctoral centre ‘Social and Health Science Design of Transformation Processes’, which OTH Regensburg initiated together with Munich University of Applied Sciences and Nuremberg Institute of Technology. ‘This is a great success and clear evidence of our research strength,’ says Prof Dr Klaudia Winkler.
