ENSt Joseph’s Hospital in Wiesbaden, Germany — St. Josefs-Hospital in German, locally called JoHo — is a Catholic general hospital in the capital of the state of Hesse, between Frankfurt and Mainz. Other German hospitals carry the same saint’s name; this page covers only the one in Wiesbaden.
Below: what kind of hospital it is, its departments and certified centres, when a nearby university hospital makes more sense, and how a patient from abroad is admitted.
A Catholic Hospital in the Capital of Hesse
A church-sponsored hospital in Germany is an ordinary non-profit hospital owned by a church community, foundation or association; German hospital statistics list these «freigemeinnützig» hospitals as a group beside public and private ones. St. Josefs-Hospital’s sponsor is the non-profit St. Josefs-Hospital Wiesbaden Stiftung, and the hospital describes itself as a Catholic house rooted in the nursing work of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ. Like other general hospitals in Germany, it treats patients of all statutory and private insurers, and its mission statement says the sick are cared for regardless of world view, religion or origin. It is also an academic teaching hospital of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz.
Wiesbaden suits the whole family: it is the state capital and an old spa town with thermal springs. The city stresses that its proximity to Frankfurt Airport matters especially for international guests, and S-Bahn trains link the two. Hotels of every category are in the centre, so relatives can stay nearby. The hospitals in Frankfurt nearby have their own overview page.
Departments and Areas of Care
St. Josefs-Hospital covers internal medicine, surgery, gynaecology and obstetrics, neurology, radiology and several certified centres. Internal medicine has three clinics: one for the heart, blood vessels, lungs and heart rhythm, while the hospital’s chest pain unit is certified by the German Cardiac Society; one for the digestive organs and liver, infections, diabetes and nutrition; and one for oncology and palliative medicine, with a palliative ward certified by the German Association for Palliative Medicine.
General and abdominal surgery treats tumours and other diseases of the bowel, liver, pancreas, stomach and gallbladder, and hernias, also with minimally invasive and robotic techniques. There are also coloproctology, vascular medicine, orthopaedics with a joint replacement centre for hips, knees and shoulders, trauma surgery and a spine centre. Heart valve and bypass operations are done by cardiac surgeons of Universitätsmedizin Mainz, the university medical centre, in their own unit here. Joint replacements, spine and hernia operations and most tumour surgery are planned in advance. Emergencies such as fractures after accidents come through the round-the-clock emergency department; the hospital is certified as a local trauma centre in the trauma network of the German Trauma Society (DGU).
Other areas include gynaecology and obstetrics, with the «Baby-Friendly Hospital» award, an initiative of WHO and UNICEF; neurology for stroke, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis, with a stroke unit certified by LGA InterCert; and radiology, radiotherapy and nuclear medicine. Cancer care is bundled in the JoHo Krebszentrum, certified as an oncology centre by the German Cancer Society (DKG), with certified centres for bowel, breast and gynaecological cancers and modules for pancreatic, liver and anal cancer.
A Hospital in Wiesbaden or a University Centre Nearby?
For common planned operations and internal medicine, a hospital of this size is a normal choice; a university hospital matters mainly in rare and complex cases. The German system does not require a university clinic for joint replacement, hernia or gallbladder surgery, or treating heart and digestive diseases.
When the case is rare or complex — advanced cancer, a transplant, a child with a rare disease — consider a university hospital too. Within reach are University Hospital Frankfurt, with paediatric and adolescent medicine and a liver transplant centre, and the hospitals in Mainz with their university medical centre. The German Cancer Information Service notes that whether cancer needs a specialised centre depends on its type, the situation and how complex treatment is; rare tumours are mainly a task for top-level cancer centres.
Admission of Patients from Abroad
St. Josefs-Hospital also admits patients from abroad who pay for treatment themselves. It states that it treats patients of all insurers and self-payers, and it publishes its elective-services agreement in English for international patients, with the German text legally binding. Its website names no separate international office; the relevant department decides on admission after reviewing the documents. If you need a German doctor’s view of the diagnosis and plan before travelling, consider a second opinion in Germany.
To answer, the department needs recent discharge reports, CT and MRI images on disc with their reports, laboratory results, a medication list and a short question to the doctors, in German or English. For admission itself, it asks for doctors’ letters, previous findings and X-rays, a medication plan and a passport.
Frequently asked questions
Does St Joseph’s Hospital in Wiesbaden treat patients of other faiths?
Yes, faith makes no difference. St. Josefs-Hospital is Catholic, but its mission statement says the sick are cared for regardless of world view, religion or origin. For cancer care, the Cancer Information Service stresses, whether the sponsor is a church, a city or another owner plays no role in a hospital’s suitability.
Does St Joseph’s Hospital in Wiesbaden take emergency patients?
Yes. The emergency department is open around the clock, there is a unit for acute chest pain, and the hospital is a certified trauma centre. In an emergency in Germany, call 112. Planned treatment is agreed in advance, based on documents and a cost estimate, and the department decides on admission.
Which St Joseph Hospital in Germany is this page about?
Only St. Josefs-Hospital Wiesbaden on Beethovenstraße in Wiesbaden. Other German hospitals are named after St Joseph; even its own hospital group includes a separate St. Josefs-Hospital Rheingau. So on any referral, letter or invoice, check the city and the address, not just the name.
How AlenMed Arranges Treatment in Wiesbaden
AlenMed translates the medical documents into German and sends the enquiry to the right department of St. Josefs-Hospital. If the hospital cannot take the case or another hospital suits the diagnosis better, we name alternatives. A separate page explains arranging treatment in Germany step by step.
We request a cost estimate, and payment goes directly to the hospital. We help with the visa invitation, an interpreter and accommodation for relatives. The company’s office is in Munich, and its 86 partner hospitals are in 38 cities across Germany; St. Josefs-Hospital is not one of them.
This material is for reference only and is not an offer. The treatment plan is decided by the doctor at a face-to-face consultation.