A strong message in support of healthcare in the southern part of Salzgitter: Today, Mayor Frank Klingebiel, Mario Römer, a representative of the komba union in Salzgitter and organizer of the vigils, the SPD and CDU council caucuses, the Greens–Die Partei council group, and the council caucuses of the Free Voters/FDP, Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, and Die Linke, the unions IG Metall and Verdi—along with works council chairwoman Ms. Reese—jointly presented, on behalf of the coalition “St. Elisabeth Hospital Must Be Saved,” approximately 3,000 signatures collected in a very short time to Lower Saxony’s Dr. Andreas Philippi and Auxiliary Bishop Dr. Martin Marahrens.

The vigils held in front of the Ministry in Hanover and the bishop’s residence made it clear just how strong public support is for keeping the hospital open. At the handover, Mayor Frank Klingebiel emphatically underscored the vital importance of the hospital’s current location for emergency and health care throughout the region: “St. Elisabeth Hospital is the heart of healthcare in the southern part of Salzgitter and in the neighboring communities of the Goslar and Wolfenbüttel districts. In our view, it is essential for people’s healthcare and must absolutely be preserved. The fact that there is a need for local, basic hospital care is already evident from the new building, which is nearly complete and was funded with substantial state funding of 35 million euros. As a Catholic hospital operator, the EVV has a responsibility—not only stemming from its Christian mission—toward the staff and the community to ensure the continued operation of our St. Elisabeth Hospital. The EVV also bears this responsibility toward the State of Lower Saxony and the Hospital Planning Committee as the funding providers! A reliable partnership looks different than initiating a voluntary bankruptcy in a cloak-and-dagger operation when one’s own funding application had just been approved shortly before.”

In a conversation with the minister and the auxiliary bishop, Mario Römer further clarified that for the alliance, the staff, and the general public, it is not merely about the location itself, but explicitly also about preserving the current operational model. Römer emphasized: “For us as an alliance, the 35 million euros in funding that has already been disbursed represents a very clear commitment by the state to this location and to the emergency and health care services provided here. This trust and this investment must now be consistently maintained.”

Health Minister Dr. Philippi and Auxiliary Bishop Dr. Marahrens were impressed by the participants’ unity. They expressed great understanding for the demands made by the mayor and the coalition. In a constructive discussion, both the minister and the auxiliary bishop signaled their support for the cause, and the minister confirmed his participation in the requested “roundtable” in Salzgitter to work with all stakeholders to find sustainable solutions for preserving the church-run acute care hospital.

The coalition views this day as an important first success. “We remain vigilant and will continue to closely monitor the process so that medical care for our citizens in the southern part of our city can be permanently secured,” Klingebiel concluded on behalf of the coalition.