ENSolingen Municipal Hospital, in German Städtisches Klinikum Solingen, is the city-owned multi-specialty hospital in Solingen, North Rhine-Westphalia.
For a patient from abroad, its location matters most: Solingen lies between Düsseldorf, Cologne and Wuppertal. This page explains what kind of hospital it is, which departments it has, when a university centre makes more sense and how to arrange treatment.
What Kind of Hospital It Is
Städtisches Klinikum Solingen is a municipal hospital owned by the City of Solingen: it is run by a non-profit company whose shareholder is the city. The hospital describes itself as a maximum-care hospital (Maximalversorgung) and says it covers almost all medical disciplines. Like other general hospitals in Germany, it brings many specialties under one roof: 20 clinics, institutes and departments, 600 beds and more than 2,000 staff. It is also an academic teaching hospital of the University of Cologne, where medical students complete their final practical year.
“Städtisch” simply means “municipal”: the city owns the hospital, and it treats all patients. A patient from abroad without German health insurance pays as a self-payer (Selbstzahler), based on the hospital’s cost estimate. A separate page explains how public hospitals in Germany work in general. Solingen has other hospitals too, such as the lung clinic Krankenhaus Bethanien, but this page covers only the municipal one.
Departments and Centres
- Gastroenterologie und Onkologie: digestive organs and tumours
- Hämatologie und Onkologie: blood disorders and cancer drug treatment
- Kardiologie mit Rhythmologie: heart disease and heart rhythm disorders
- Geriatrie, Allgemeine Innere Medizin und Nephrologie: older patients, internal medicine and the kidneys
- Allgemein- und Viszeralchirurgie: surgery of the abdominal organs
- Gefäß- und Endovaskuläre Chirurgie, Phlebologie: arteries, including procedures through a small puncture, and veins
- Unfallchirurgie, Orthopädie und Handchirurgie: injuries, joints and the hand
- Neurochirurgie: surgery of the brain and spinal cord
- Neurologie: diseases of the brain and nerves
- Urologie und Kinderurologie: the urinary and genital organs in adults and children
- Frauenheilkunde und Geburtshilfe, Senologie: gynaecology, childbirth and breast disease
- Kinder- und Jugendmedizin: children and adolescents
- Hals-Nasen-Ohrenheilkunde: ENT, head and neck tumours, the thyroid
- Anästhesiologie, Intensiv- und Palliativmedizin: anaesthesia, intensive care and relief of severe symptoms
- Notfall- und Akutmedizin: emergency care
- Radiologie und Neuroradiologie: imaging and image-guided treatment
Of the areas patients from abroad ask about most often, the hospital covers oncology, cardiology and paediatrics. Several clinics treat tumours, from gastroenterology to gynaecology and ENT, and the Krebszentrum Solingen cancer centre brings their work together. Cardiologists treat acute and chronic heart and vascular disease, and a separate department deals with heart rhythm disorders. The children’s clinic works as a level 2 perinatal centre (Perinatalzentrum Level 2), which means it also cares for premature babies.
Several centres hold certificates. The Krebszentrum Solingen cancer centre is certified by the German Cancer Society (DKG) and appears on the society’s OncoMap of certified centres. DKG certificates are also held by the centres for bowel cancer, gynaecological cancers, head and neck tumours and blood cancers, and the Bergisches Brustzentrum breast centre is certified as well. The hospital is also a supra-regional trauma centre certified by the German Trauma Society (DGU), which places it at the highest level of care for severe injuries.
Solingen or a University Hospital in Düsseldorf or Cologne
Most cases are treated at the city hospital; a university hospital matters mainly for rare and very complex conditions. In such cases doctors sometimes refer patients to the university hospitals of the neighbouring cities, Düsseldorf University Hospital or Cologne University Hospital. The decision depends on the diagnosis and on where the right experience and equipment are available.
Location and Getting There
The hospital is in Solingen, a city in the Bergisches Land region, and the nearest large airport is Düsseldorf; a separate page covers hospitals in Düsseldorf. Trains and S-Bahn suburban trains run on the Deutsche Bahn timetable, so check the route and journey time before you travel. Relatives can find accommodation in Solingen itself or in neighbouring cities. The exact address of the building to go to comes with the patient’s invitation.
Frequently asked questions
Does Solingen Municipal Hospital accept patients from abroad?
Yes, the hospital also accepts patients from abroad. Without German health insurance, treatment is paid privately as a self-payer, based on the hospital’s cost estimate. First, the relevant department reviews the translated medical reports, scans and test results and decides whether it can take the case. If another hospital fits the diagnosis better, this usually becomes clear at this stage.
Is Solingen Municipal Hospital a university hospital?
No, it is a municipal hospital, not a university hospital. It does have academic status, though: it is a teaching hospital of the University of Cologne, and medical students complete their final practical year here. The nearest university hospitals are in Düsseldorf and Cologne; when it makes sense to go there is explained above.
Does Solingen Municipal Hospital treat children?
Yes, the hospital has a clinic for children and adolescents with a paediatric intensive care unit. As a level 2 perinatal centre it also cares for premature babies, and the hospital’s urologists treat children as well. For a child from abroad the steps are the same as for an adult: translated documents and a cost estimate first, then the invitation and admission.
Does Solingen Municipal Hospital have an emergency department?
Yes, the central emergency department (Zentrale Notfallambulanz) is staffed around the clock, and the hospital is certified as a supra-regional trauma centre that admits people with severe injuries. If a visitor falls ill or is injured while already in Germany, the emergency number is 112. Planned treatment works differently: it is agreed in advance, based on documents and a cost estimate.
How AlenMed Arranges Treatment at Solingen Municipal Hospital
AlenMed translates medical reports and scan reports into German and sends the enquiry to the right department. If another hospital fits the case better, we name it. A separate page explains step by step how arranging treatment in Germany works.
We request the cost estimate (Kostenvoranschlag), and payment goes directly to the hospital. After the deposit, the hospital sends the invitation for the visa; we arrange an interpreter and meet the patient at the airport. The company office is in Munich, and AlenMed partner hospitals work across Germany; Solingen Municipal 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.