Following the state government's decision not to earmark any funds for the planned construction of the University Medical Centre in next year's draft budget, there is widespread resistance.
"Revise decision", "Don't oversleep future investments" or "Affront to the entire region": the university, city and region as well as medical associations and numerous interest groups are using strong words to defend themselves against the state government's plans not to fund the construction of an urgently needed teaching and research building for University Medicine Oldenburg for the time being.
Regional politicians are also backing the new building: on 16 July, CDU and SPD MPs from the region gathered in front of the university's Clinical Training Centre together with Oldenburg's Lord Mayor Jürgen Krogmann and University Vice President Jörg Stahlmann. In a joint paper, CDU and SPD politicians had previously stated that the governing coalition in Hanover had a duty to provide the European Medical School with the necessary funding as a public university institution.
End underfunding of university medicine
On 6 July, the state government of Lower Saxony decided not to include any funds for the new university medical centre in its draft budget for 2021. Of the approximately 140 million euros that the building on the municipal site on Pophankenweg is expected to cost, around 80 million should be provided by the state government for the first construction phase in the coming year.
"After its visit in autumn 2018, the German Council of Science and Humanities rightly called for an end to the underfunding of University Medicine Oldenburg," says University President Prof. Dr Dr Hans Michael Piper. Without the requested new medical building, the further expansion of human medicine training in Oldenburg would simply not be possible. "The decisive reason for establishing a degree programme in human medicine at the time was the looming shortage of doctors in the north-west. This situation has worsened since 2011. Future medical care in the region is therefore at risk - and we can only remedy the situation with adequate funding."
Maintaining the quality of the degree programme
The Scientific Advisory Board, which advises the University on the further development of the School, also wrote in its recently published statement that without the construction project, the foundations of University Medicine Oldenburg would be jeopardised: "The building is the central interface between research and patient care and will combine the existing strengths in natural and life sciences research with medicine in the future."
Oldenburg's medical students also sharply criticise the state government and demand that it sticks to the financing of the new teaching and research building. This is urgently necessary in order to maintain the quality of the degree programme, especially as the number of places increases, according to a statement from the Human Medicine student body. "Even with the current number of students, there is no longer enough space for prospective doctors and research space for professors."
Impressive range of degree programmes
The University Senate had already emphasised in a statement on 8 July that the state government's decision counteracted the outstanding development achievements of the university and its cooperation partners. In its statement, the University Senate also referred to the favourable vote given by the German Council of Science and Humanities last year.
In July last year, the most important scientific advisory body of the federal and state governments had attested to the model degree programme in human medicine, the European Medical School Oldenburg-Groningen (EMS), as an "impressive range of courses" that had been "convincingly implemented". However, among other things, the committee had called for the necessary infrastructure to be further developed - also in order to be able to realise the planned expansion of the degree programme from 40 to up to 200 students in the mid-2020s, as agreed with the state government.
Expansion of the medical degree programme absolutely necessary
Last winter semester, 80 young doctors began their studies in Oldenburg for the first time - and soon there will be even more. A plan that cannot be realised under the current conditions, according to University President Piper. It is therefore time to act. "After all, we know that the majority of students always settle in the region where they are studying. The expansion of the medical degree programme in Oldenburg makes sense and is absolutely necessary," said Piper.
The Lower Saxony Ministry of Science had already applied for additional funding for the necessary construction measures at the University of Oldenburg. However, the state government has now rejected the proposal in its planning for the 2021 draft budget. The government justifies its fundamental decision not to include any funds for new projects in the 2021 draft budget and medium-term financial planning, with a few exceptions, with the additional expenditure and tax shortfalls that the state has incurred or will incur as a result of the coronavirus crisis.
Convinced by the concept of the degree programme
This argument is incomprehensible to many: University Medicine Oldenburg started in 2012 with the founding of School V - School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Since then, the state has continuously funded the programme. In a press release, the Marburger Bund Niedersachsen emphasised that it understands that the coronavirus pandemic poses a particular challenge for the state budget. At the same time, this should not mean that urgently needed future investments are not made.
Oldenburg's medical students are therefore urging the state government to keep its promise not to make any serious cuts to measures already underway despite the difficult times: "We are convinced of the concept of our degree programme. The success of the graduates so far proves both the idea of University Medicine Oldenburg and its implementation right," write the students.
The university management agrees: the pandemic in particular shows how important good healthcare and the training of doctors is for the north-west, says Piper. "We assume that the last word has not yet been spoken. University Medicine Oldenburg finally needs a solid and sustainable foundation."
