One of Berlin’s largest private hospitals, the Park-Klinik Weißensee, has entered self-administered insolvency despite treating tens of thousands of patients every year.
The hospital — founded in 1997 and known for its modern facilities and patient satisfaction — employs 770 staff, operates 350 beds, and includes ten specialist departments and five certified medical centers.
According to the management company Park-Klinik Weißensee GmbH, the insolvency procedure also covers its subsidiaries, including the medical care center and the clinic’s kitchen operations. The local court approved the preliminary self-administration process in early October, allowing restructuring while medical services continue.
“Rising costs made the model unsustainable”
A spokesperson for the clinic told German media that the decision was unavoidable: “The cost increases we’ve seen across Germany since the COVID-19 pandemic also affect hospitals — from medication and consumables to building maintenance. Income from health insurance funds and the Berlin Senate simply no longer covers our expenses.”
Despite treating around 17,000 in-patients, performing 8,500 surgeries, and providing 26,000 emergency treatments per year, the clinic’s revenue could not keep pace with surging operating costs.
Staff protected for now
The court’s order allows the hospital to keep running while administrators prepare a restructuring plan.
All 770 employees have been informed, and the Federal Employment Agency will cover wages for the first three months. After that, responsibility returns to the clinic itself.
Patients are unaffected, the management emphasized: all treatments and operations will continue as planned.
The clinic also trains medical students from Berlin’s Charité University Hospital, which adds complexity to maintaining operations during insolvency.
Turnaround plan under development
The hospital’s leadership is now working with a Frankfurt-based consultancy to design a restructuring strategy aimed at stabilizing the institution.
According to the spokesperson, “The concepts will first be discussed internally with our staff, because the necessary steps can only succeed together.”
Whether the plan can ensure long-term survival remains uncertain — the final decision lies with the insolvency court and the creditors.
Financial stress across Germany’s hospital sector
Park-Klinik Weißensee is not alone. Hospitals nationwide are facing severe pressure from inflation, energy costs, and stagnant reimbursement rates. In Hornbach, 87 employees at another Park-Klinik fear for their jobs, while a private clinic in Ingolstadt has already filed for bankruptcy.
Health-care associations warn that unless funding models are urgently reformed, dozens of smaller hospitals could face similar fates in the coming months.
