EN«St. Anna» is a common name for a hospital in Germany, but patients who search for a St Anna hospital in Germany usually mean St. Anna Hospital in Herne, a church-run hospital in the Ruhr area.
This page is for patients who got the hospital’s name from a letter, a recommendation or an online search and want to know what the hospital is, whether it fits their diagnosis and how AlenMed can send an enquiry. AlenMed does not have a contract with this hospital and contacts it on the patient’s behalf.
Where St. Anna Hospital in Herne, Germany is
St. Anna Hospital is at Hospitalstraße 19 in Herne, a city in the Ruhr area of North Rhine-Westphalia between Bochum and Gelsenkirchen, with Dortmund close by. By road the hospital is about 10 km from central Gelsenkirchen, 15 km from Bochum and 30 km from Dortmund. The nearest international airports are Düsseldorf, about 50 km away, and Dortmund, about 40 km.
Other St. Anna hospitals exist in Germany, so before planning a trip check the town and the full name in the letter: here, Herne and St. Anna Hospital Herne. The same happens with other common saints’ names, for example the St. Elisabeth hospitals in Germany.
Who runs the hospital
The hospital is run by St. Elisabeth Gruppe GmbH – Katholische Kliniken Rhein-Ruhr; this is how the imprint (Impressum) of the hospital’s website names the company, which has the same address as the hospital. It is a Catholic church group of hospitals, care homes for older people, hospices and training institutions. The hospital’s quality report lists the operator as non-profit (freigemeinnützig).
For a foreign patient, a church-run hospital is a regular part of the German hospital system: it has the same state licensing and the same mandatory quality reports as municipal and private hospitals. Patients of every faith are treated here, and the hospital chaplaincy (Seelsorge) is open to patients and their relatives regardless of their religion or beliefs; it is an offer, not an obligation. Other church-run hospitals work the same way, for example the Marien hospitals in Germany.
Departments and treatments
The hospital’s main fields are orthopaedics and trauma surgery, the treatment of abdominal organs, including cancer, and women’s medicine with childbirth. Orthopaedics has separate centres for the spine, for the pelvis, hip, knee and foot, and for the shoulder, elbow and hand; the certified centres include a trauma centre, a spine centre and a joint replacement centre. Patients come here with injuries, back pain and worn joints. Surgeons and gastroenterologists treat all abdominal organs together, and there are separate certified centres for cancer of the oesophagus, bowel and pancreas. The gynaecologists treat endometriosis, fibroids, ovarian cysts, urinary incontinence and malignant tumours of the female organs. The hospital’s website lists these departments:
- Zentrum für Orthopädie und Unfallchirurgie — orthopaedics and trauma surgery
- Klinik für Allgemein- und Viszeralchirurgie — general surgery: operations on internal organs and for hernias
- Klinik für Innere Medizin — internal medicine: high blood pressure, diseases of the heart, airways and kidneys
- Klinik für Gastroenterologie — digestive diseases, and also diabetes
- Klinik für Frauenheilkunde und Geburtshilfe — gynaecology and obstetrics
- Brustzentrum — all diseases of the breast
- Fachabteilung Onkologie — diagnosis and treatment of cancer
- Anästhesiologie und Intensivmedizin — pain-free surgery, support during childbirth and intensive care
There is no heart surgery and no radiotherapy among the departments. Heart conditions are treated here by specialists in internal medicine, but heart surgery or radiotherapy would take place at another hospital; clarify this before you travel.
Is St. Anna Hospital the right choice for your diagnosis?
The decision starts with the department, not with the hospital’s name: first check whether a department at St. Anna Hospital treats your condition. A patient with a complex or rare condition may be better served by a university hospital nearby, for example University Hospital Essen in the same Ruhr area, and the hospitals in Dortmund are close by as well.
If a doctor at home has already recommended St. Anna Hospital, a second opinion in Germany can confirm the diagnosis and the treatment plan before you travel.
Frequently asked questions
Can a patient from abroad be treated at St. Anna Hospital in Herne?
Yes, if the relevant department agrees to admit the patient after reviewing the documents. The hospital itself decides and prepares the cost estimate (Kostenvoranschlag). AlenMed has no contract with St. Anna Hospital, so we translate the reports and images and send the enquiry on the patient’s behalf. If the hospital declines or another hospital fits the diagnosis better, AlenMed suggests an alternative.
How can I check that the letter refers to St. Anna Hospital in Herne?
Check the town and the full name: for this hospital they are Herne and St. Anna Hospital Herne, and the address is Hospitalstraße 19. There are St. Anna hospitals in other German towns too, so the saint’s name alone is not enough. A different town or name means a different hospital. If in doubt, ask the doctor who recommended it before you travel.
Does St. Anna Hospital treat cancer?
Yes: the hospital has an oncology department (Fachabteilung Onkologie), a breast centre (Brustzentrum) and certified centres for cancer of the oesophagus, bowel and pancreas. There is no radiotherapy department, so any radiotherapy would be given at another hospital. Whether it suits a particular tumour, the relevant department decides after reviewing the reports and images.
Does St. Anna Hospital treat patients of other faiths?
Yes: it is a Catholic hospital, but it treats patients of every faith and of none. The chaplaincy (Seelsorge) is open to patients and their relatives regardless of their religion, and each patient decides whether to use it. Faith plays no part in admission or in the treatment plan, which the doctor bases on the diagnosis.
How AlenMed organises treatment at St. Anna Hospital Herne
AlenMed translates the medical reports and images into German and sends an enquiry to the relevant department. The hospital alone decides whether it can admit the patient and prepares the cost estimate (Kostenvoranschlag).
Payment goes directly to the hospital. AlenMed helps with the invitation for the medical visa and, on request, arranges an interpreter at consultations, airport pick-up and accommodation. The company’s office is in Munich, and its partner hospitals are spread across Germany: if St. Anna Hospital declines or your case fits another hospital better, we suggest an alternative; more on arranging treatment in Germany.
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.