The Ministry of Social Affairs has been instructed to prepare the funding decision for the next meeting of the hospital planning committee.

"The negative attitude that the members of the hospital planning committee had towards this project just a year ago has now been reversed thanks to a wide range of efforts," says Mayor Frank Klingebiel, pleased with this development.

He adds: "The reason for this change of heart is the enormous commitment of the people of Salzgitter, the intensive political activities that I undertook together with the members of the state parliament Stefan Klein and Marcus Bosse, and the clear positioning of the Salzgitter City Council for the preservation of St. Elisabeth Hospital as well as the now viable concept of the new owner."

The fact that the hospital planning committee had discussed the project so intensively today was due in particular to the joint activities and efforts of the Lord Mayor and the two members of the state parliament as well as the commercial director of St. Bernward Hospital, Stefan Fischer. "I would like to thank you for this support on behalf of the citizens," said Frank Klingebiel, adding: "We expect a positive decision on the application in the next hospital planning committee, probably in the first quarter of 2018."