Essen University Hospital wins legal battle to keep heart transplants unrestricted

Essen University Hospital has secured the right to continue performing heart transplants without restrictions. The decision follows a legal battle after authorities attempted to limit its role in the state's hospital plan. A higher court has now upheld the hospital's position, ensuring its transplant programme remains fully operational. The dispute began when the Düsseldorf District Government restricted Essen University Hospital to only combined heart-lung transplants from April. This move would have forced the hospital to collaborate with other clinics, severely limiting its independent operations. Officials argued that such rare procedures alone would not provide surgeons with enough routine practice.

Essen University Hospital challenged the decision in the Gelsenkirchen Administrative Court—and won. The case then moved to the Higher Administrative Court in Münster, which also ruled in the hospital's favour. Judges questioned whether splitting transplant services across multiple centres was more effective than keeping them centralised. The hospital is the only facility in North Rhine-Westphalia with extensive experience in heart transplants. Court documents from March 2026 showed that 30 cases had been assigned to a competing clinic, despite a total demand of 40, leaving only 10 for routine qualification. This fragmentation raised concerns about maintaining surgical expertise.

The ruling ensures Essen University Hospital can maintain its full transplant programme. Without restrictions, the facility will continue serving as the region's primary centre for heart transplants. The decision also prevents the fragmentation of specialised medical services across multiple clinics.