Dual leadership ensures a new era in patient care in Halle!

Dual leadership ensures a new era in patient care in Halle!

The St. Elisabeth and St. Barbara Hospital in Halle (Saale) is facing an important change: from November 1, 2025, a new dual leadership will manage the business. The medical facility is being put on a new footing under the leadership of Jan Jakobitz, who was previously managing director of Klinikum Frankfurt (Oder) GmbH. Health Minister Petra Grimm-Benne enthusiastically comments on what is planned for the future of patient care in Halle (Saale).

Jakobitz will take over operational management, while Friedemann Malerz, previously commercial manager at the Martha-Maria Halle-Dölau Hospital, will gain insight into his new role as managing director of both hospitals on January 1, 2026. This leadership constellation is intended to set the course for the planned merger of the St. Elisabeth, St. Barbara and Martha-Maria Halle-Dölau hospitals, which are to be united under a common sponsorship in order to improve patient care. This decision was taken by a large majority of the supervisory bodies and represents a cornerstone for the future of healthcare in the region.

A shared goal for patient care

The merger, which is scheduled to come into force in 2026, has four main goals: improving patient care and creating attractive and safe jobs. In addition, the tradition of health care motivated by Christian charity should be continued. Especially in Halle (Saale), it is important to strengthen emergency care in the city center and to offer elective medical services primarily in Halle-Dölau. All of this speaks for a future-oriented restructuring of the healthcare system that also actively addresses the economic challenges.

A project that not only gives security to the employees: the employees of the two companies should also be able to continue working under the roof of the new maximum provider under the same conditions. The Elisabeth Vinzenz Verbund will assume corporate responsibility for the facilities, which is seen by some as safeguarding the medical care standards in Halle.

Structures for the future

The new management structure will accompany the transformation process. Peter Pfeiffer, current managing director, will remain with the association and will look after the eleven hospital locations of Elisabeth Vinzenz Verbund GmbH in the future. Markus Füssel, the managing director of the Martha-Maria Hospital gGmbH in Nuremberg, will also take on new challenges at the Martha-Maria Diakoniewerk. This restructuring shows a clear will to combine operational management and strategic development more effectively and to respond to the new realities in the healthcare sector.

The basic data on health care in Saxony-Anhalt demonstrate the need for such reforms. Inpatient care has changed significantly since 1991; Over a third of hospitals are now private. These changes highlight the challenges that hospitals in the region must overcome. Bed occupancy in 2022 was 65 percent, and hospital spending reached 3.6 billion euros. The merger represents a sensible measure to create more efficient structures and sustainably improve care.

The way is paved for a new era in Halle's healthcare system. The coming months will show how the implementation of these plans will progress, but there is already great anticipation of an optimized maximum provider in the region. Stay tuned for more news about this exciting development in Halle (Saale)!