Protest in Wittstock: Citizens defend themselves against hospital closure!

Protest in Wittstock: Citizens defend themselves against hospital closure!

Things are simmering in Wittstock, a town in Ostprignitz-Ruppin, Brandenburg: On Thursday evening, July 24, 2025, several hundred residents took to the streets to protest against the planned closure of the KMG Hospital. The demonstration began at 5 p.m. in front of the town hall, where around 600 people gathered - 400 sitting and 200 standing. Those in attendance included not only residents and patients, but also local politicians who expressed concern about the loss of an important medical facility. According to maz-online.de, an information and discussion event was planned in the town hall, to which Mayor Philipp Wacker had invited.

The reason for the dissatisfaction: The clinic management has announced that it will give up the Wittstock location by the end of 2026. According to a staff meeting at the KMG clinics, the new requirements of the nationwide hospital reform, which is due to come into force in 2027, are the main reason for the closure. Those responsible warn that this reform will no longer guarantee inpatient care in the region. The affected cardiology and gastroenterology departments are to be relocated to Pritzwalk, where the construction of cardiac catheter laboratories and the expansion of the intensive care unit are already planned. The only hospital care in Wittstock, which currently only offers internal medicine services, is headed for an uncertain future, as rbb24.de reports.

Concerned citizens and support from politicians

Mayor Wacker describes the closure as “really bad news” and demands that KMG and the Ministry of Health address the citizens’ concerns. They share concerns about the impact on medical care, particularly for older and sick people who require ongoing medical care. The lack of adequate services could, among other things, lead to higher burdens of illness, especially in rural regions, where there is often an already precarious medical infrastructure, as bpb.de describes.

In addition, numerous local politicians, including the mayors of Heiligengrabe and Rheinsberg, support the preservation of the hospital and underline its importance for the region. The alternatives discussed at the event include mobile care units, a medical care center or a polyclinic. KMG, however, explains that the relocation is necessary to ensure basic services in the region in the long term, as the resulting plans show. A large part of the 200 employees in Wittstock can therefore continue to be employed in Pritzwalk and nearby Kyritz.

Alternative concepts for healthcare

Health Minister Britta Müller has also spoken out in favor of alternative medical care options. Given the challenges that rural health care brings with it - such as large catchment areas, long journeys and an aging population - innovative care approaches are required. Proposals such as mobile service providers or improving telemedicine connections could be crucial to ensuring health care for all populations.

Another argument came from Sebastian Walter, the state leader of the Left Party, who warned that longer routes and delayed rescue times could be associated with the closure. He suggests possibly letting the state take over the hospital site. In Neuruppin, too, the Ruppin-Brandenburg University Hospital is to create additional treatment capacities in order to increase patient care. Current information about the care of patients from Wittstock shows that they receive an appointment within a few days - but this cannot hide the fact that many are dependent on inpatient care.

The situation remains tense and calls for transparent communication from those responsible are becoming louder. A petition against the closure has already been launched and can be signed during the protest. The next few weeks will be crucial to see how healthcare in Wittstock develops.