The sponsors and owners of the Catholic St. Elisabeth-Krankenhaus gGmbH are Elisabeth Vinzenz Verbund GmbH as the main shareholder based in Berlin and the Vinzenz Bernward Stiftungen as the minority shareholder based in Hildesheim.

The managing director of the Catholic St.-Elisabeth-Krankenhaus gGmbH has filed for insolvency with the Braunschweig Local Court as the competent insolvency court. The background to this is a deficit that has arisen as a result of ongoing hospital operations and was no longer compensated for by the owners and operators. This threatened to render the Catholic St. Elisabeth Hospital gGmbH insolvent or over-indebted.

As a result, the Braunschweig district court opened insolvency proceedings two weeks ago. The managing director of St. Elisabeth Hospital will remain in office for the duration of the proceedings, but will be supervised by a court-appointed trustee. This administrator will examine the economic situation, protect the interests of the creditors and support the planned restructuring. A creditors' committee has also been set up.

Medical care is still guaranteed. Hospital operations will continue without restrictions in the existing hospital building (old building) during the insolvency proceedings.

The insolvency proceedings mean the following for employees: The Federal Employment Agency will pay insolvency benefits to employees at the request of the Catholic St.-Elisabeth-Krankenhaus gGmbH. This serves as a wage replacement benefit and is granted for up to three months.

The management and the administrator continue to pursue the goal of completing the new hospital building, which is already around 95% complete, as quickly as possible and then putting it into operation.

Lord Mayor Frank Klingebiel makes it clear: "This is also in line with my demand, which I made unequivocally with regard to the state funding of around €35 million for the new hospital building. In my view, the Catholic sponsor and owner has an obligation to its employees, our citizens, the state of Lower Saxony as the funding body and the city of Salzgitter, which has always positively supported the application for state funding."

Health Minister Dr. Andreas Philippi and Lord Mayor Frank Klingebiel agreed in their meeting, which was also attended by members of the state parliament Marcus Bosse and Stefan Klein, to invite the owners and operators of the Catholic hospital St.-Elisabeth-Krankenhaus gGmbH to a crisis meeting in April 2026. The aim of this meeting is to clarify what further steps are planned. At the same time, it should be made clear that the state of Lower Saxony and the city of Salzgitter expect the hospital's own insolvency to be ended as quickly as possible.
The aim must be to continue hospital operations in the existing building and, after relocation, in the new building on a permanent basis, thus securing the hospital site in the long term.
The funding decision by the state of Lower Saxony is tied to the "hospital" care mandate. Should the hospital be sold to another hospital operator as part of the insolvency proceedings or by decision of the creditors' committee, this operator would also have to continue to fulfill the care mandate and the requirements of the funding decision.
The Salzgitter City Council will address the situation of St. Elisabeth Hospital at its public meeting on April 15, 2026 and decide on the following draft resolution (see download).