I am sending you the following statement from Lord Mayor Frank Klingebiel on the application for the opening of insolvency proceedings under its own responsibility that St. Elisabeth-Krankenhaus Salzgitter gGmbH filed today with Braunschweig Local Court:

"It was with great surprise that I had to accept the news of the self-insolvency from the managing director of St. Elisabeth Hospital, Mr. Margaschewski, today. We agreed during the meeting that, even in the case of the hospital's own insolvency, the priority must be to complete the hospital building, which is in the final phase, as quickly as possible and to start operating the hospital as soon as possible - under whatever viable conditions. After a good 19 years of nerve-wracking struggle for this hospital site and high state funding, the hospital operator owes this to its employees and the citizens. The city of Salzgitter will continue to stand by the St. Elisabeth Hospital and will support all activities to start operations. I appeal to Elisabeth Vinzenz Verbund GmbH as the main owner of our hospital and the state of Lower Saxony to set the right course as quickly as possible. I expect the federal government to finally adjust the well-known inadequate revenue situation for all hospitals as part of the hospital structure reform to the increased cost situation of hospitals as quickly as possible."