The Aachen Uniklinikum is the best large-scale hospital in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia – according to the German government’s Science Council.

We have drawn up a short summary for you of why it’s the Number One and what – in spite of its top marks – still needs to be improved:
 
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Transfer and interdisciplinary cooperation: the connection between theory and clinical practice is first-class. In other words: what is taught and researched at the Uniklinikum is also being applied – in effect: directly from the laboratory to the hospital bed. An ideal scenario!
 
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Groundbreaking interdisciplinary fields of research and cooperation, for example with the Jülich Research Center, the University of Maastricht or the Aachen Leibnitz Institute. Furthermore, the Uniklinikum’s research profile is oriented to the engineering-sciences profile of the RWTH Aachen University – an extremely attractive feature for junior researchers.
 
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Digitalisation: patient files are now completely electronic. Thanks to the Telemedizinzentrum Aachen, patients can be examined remotely – a practical and reliable solution, also with respect to the aftercare and the independence of the patient.
 
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Graduates: 2037 students have recently attained their degrees at the Uniklinikum Aachen. At the turn of the millennium the figure was even 2144.
 

But there’s always room for improvement. This is where the Uniklinikum needs to do better: 
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Acute lack of space hinders the further development of the Uniklinikum. Extensive expansion is restricted by the fact that the hospital is protected as a historic monument and by the construction activities going on all around it.
 
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The nursing crisis: this also affects the Uniklinikum Aachen. For this reason, the Science Council suggests further promotion and funding of academic training in the nursing profession at the hospital.
 
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Postdoctoral qualifications: there is a relative lack of these in Aachen. Only 13 a year (between 2015 and 2017). Particularly in the field of “Dental Medicine”, numbers are declining and professorships are vacant.
 
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Proportion of women: this is too low in Aachen. A mere 13% of professorships are occupied by women. Under 5% of these have a leading function. By the way: a total of 7,000 people work at the Uniklinikum.

 
Finances:
Annual budget: 500 million euros (of which 110 million comes from the State of NRW). The Uniklinikum earns 340 million euros p.a. through the treatment of patients, and 37 million comes from third-party funds (a relatively small amount).
 
NRW-Science Minister Isabel Pfeiffer-Poensgen has promised long-term funding for teaching, research and medical care.

 
Dec 2019