ENMost people looking for a Munster hospital in Germany mean University Hospital Münster (Universitätsklinikum Münster, UKM), the largest hospital in this Westphalian city in North Rhine-Westphalia; the German spelling of the city is Münster.
This page covers what UKM is, its main areas of care, other hospitals in Münster and admission from abroad.
University Hospital Münster
UKM is the university hospital of the University of Münster: with the university’s medical faculty, it treats patients, does research and trains doctors. Legally it is a public institution (Anstalt des öffentlichen Rechts). For a patient, this means that complex and rare conditions are treated here and cancer treatment is planned at case conferences of doctors from several specialties. The page on university hospitals in Germany explains how such hospitals differ from others.
UKM’s annual report for 2025 gives its size: 1,337 planned beds under the new system of the state hospital plan, 54,323 inpatient cases and 539,641 outpatient visits, including follow-up examinations. The hospital’s website lists several dozen clinics and institutes.
Areas of Care
UKM’s special areas of care include cancer, transplantation, heart and vascular disease, neurology, psychiatry, child and adolescent medicine with rare diseases, and orthopaedics. Cancer care is concentrated in the West German Cancer Center (Westdeutsches Tumorzentrum, WTZ) Münster, UKM’s central unit where specialists from different fields treat tumours in joint programmes. The WTZ, a network of UKM and University Medicine Essen, is designated by German Cancer Aid as an Oncology Centre of Excellence (Onkologisches Spitzenzentrum), the highest of three levels, and the Münster centre is certified by the German Cancer Society (DKG). The Cancer Information Service of the German Cancer Research Center explains these levels; an overview is on the page on cancer treatment in Germany.
Heart and vascular disease is the field of the University Heart Centre Münster, which unites three cardiology clinics, paediatric cardiology and cardiac and thoracic surgery, including paediatric heart surgery; vascular operations are done by the clinic for vascular and endovascular surgery. The brain and nerves are treated by the neurology and neurosurgery clinics, a brain tumour centre and the Epilepsy Centre Münster-Osnabrück, certified by the German Society for Epileptology. According to UKM, its clinic for general, visceral and transplant surgery transplants all abdominal organs; a separate centre performs bone marrow and stem cell transplants.
Children are treated at the Centre for Parent, Child and Adolescent Medicine (Zentrum für Eltern-, Kinder- und Jugendmedizin), which unites general paediatrics, paediatric haematology and oncology, paediatric cardiology, rheumatology and immunology, paediatric surgery and obstetrics. The Centre for Rare Diseases (Centrum für Seltene Erkrankungen) helps patients with an unclear diagnosis find the right specialists, and doctors from different clinics care for them together.
Other Hospitals in Münster
Besides UKM, Münster has non-university hospitals, mostly run by church organisations. Clemenshospital, of the Christian Alexianer group, has a children’s clinic with paediatric intensive care, neurosurgery, thoracic surgery and pulmonology. Raphaelsklinik, of the same group, is in the city centre and focuses on abdominal surgery, orthopaedics with joint replacement, gastroenterology and geriatrics. St. Franziskus-Hospital, founded by Franciscan sisters and run by the church foundation St. Franziskus-Stiftung, has a musculoskeletal centre with spine surgery, vascular surgery and the Westphalian Lung Cancer Centre.
The choice depends on the case. A rare or complex case, such as a tumour needing several kinds of treatment, an organ transplant or an unclear diagnosis, is better taken to UKM, where many specialties work side by side. A common planned operation such as a joint replacement may also be done in a city hospital. The decision is made on the basis of the documents.
Treatment at UKM for a Patient from Abroad
UKM admits patients from abroad through its own office, UKM International, which grew out of the former international patient management (Internationales Patientenmanagement). It answers questions about the trip and treatment and coordinates the stay from enquiry to discharge; the admission decision is made by the relevant clinic after reviewing the documents, and UKM answers in writing. For an assessment of an existing diagnosis without travel, the right service is a second opinion in Germany.
The enquiry needs discharge reports, CT and MRI scans on disc with their reports, pathology results, recent laboratory results, a list of current medication and the question to the doctors: what the patient expects from Münster, whether an operation, another treatment option or confirmation of the diagnosis.
Frequently asked questions
Is University Hospital Münster public or private?
University Hospital Münster is public, not private. Legally it is an institution under public law, supervised by the Ministry of Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia. A patient from abroad is billed under German rules: inpatient care by DRG flat rates per case, outpatient care under the German scale of medical fees (GOÄ).
Does University Hospital Münster accept patients from abroad?
Yes, through UKM International. The medical documents are sent first; UKM then decides whether treatment there makes medical sense and answers in writing within five working days at the latest. After a positive decision, the patient receives a cost estimate, and after signing the contract and paying, a visa invitation.
How much does treatment at University Hospital Münster cost?
There is no single price: UKM names the amount only after reviewing the documents, in a written, non-binding estimate of the treatment costs. UKM can invite a patient to Germany only after the estimated amount has reached its account. The hospital does not cover the costs of the stay in Germany outside the hospital.
Can a patient come to University Hospital Münster without an enquiry?
Not for planned treatment: UKM first reviews the documents, agrees the date and issues the visa invitation only after the contract is signed. Without an appointment, UKM treats emergencies as part of acute care, and a separate department handles the payment. Coming to Münster on the off chance of a planned operation is not advisable.
How AlenMed Arranges Treatment in Münster
AlenMed translates the medical documents into German and sends the enquiry to UKM. If another university hospital in North Rhine-Westphalia fits the case better, we name it, for example University Hospital Essen or Düsseldorf University Hospital. The whole process is described on the page on arranging treatment in Germany.
Once the hospital agrees, we obtain its estimate, and payment goes directly to the hospital; we also help with the visa invitation, an interpreter and accommodation for relatives. AlenMed’s office is in Munich, and its partner hospitals are across Germany.
This material is for reference only and is not an offer. The treatment plan is decided by a doctor at a face-to-face consultation.