Future of obstetrics in Saarland: Clinics on the brink!

Future of obstetrics in Saarland: Clinics on the brink!

There are currently six maternity clinics available in Saarland, which are an important contact point for expectant parents. These clinics are located in Homburg, Neunkirchen-Kohlhof, in two facilities in Saarbrücken and in Saarlouis. Unfortunately, obstetric care at the Marienklinik St. Wendel was discontinued in 2022 after the SHG clinic in Merzig had to close in 2021. This raises questions about the future of obstetric care in the state.

The most common number of births in 2022 was recorded in the Caritas Klinikum Saarbrücken, where 1,679 births took place, followed by the Klinikum Saarbrücken with 1,522 births and the Marienhaus Klinikum Kohlhof with 1,456. However, developments show that maintaining these clinics is becoming increasingly difficult. Chief physician Mustafa Deryal from the Caritas Clinic expressed the need to provide two doctors around the clock, which leads to high costs. Health Minister Magnus Jung (SPD) is therefore calling for more financial support from the federal government, especially since the current financing of obstetric care in Germany comes from federal funding.

Financial challenges of obstetrics

A total of 1.5 million euros is available in Saarland for 2023, depending on the number of births in the clinics. The Caritas Klinikum Saarbrücken will receive around 303,000 euros, while the DRK Hospital Saarlouis will receive almost 138,000 euros, despite self-administration insolvency proceedings. Nevertheless, the continued existence of the maternity clinics remains uncertain, as closures have already taken place in Merzig and St. Wendel in recent years, even though funding was provided.

Report on SR television

The topic of obstetrics and the associated challenges were discussed in a current report on SR television on November 11th, 2025. This discussion underlines the critical situation in which hospitals in Saarland find themselves and the need to urgently find suitable solutions.

In a different context, there was also news from New York City on the same day. Zohran Mamdani won the mayoral election there with a record voter turnout, the highest in over 60 years. Mamdani was able to carve out a nine-point lead thanks to an unusual coalition of traditional Democratic voters and new voices.

Over a million New Yorkers cast their votes, with high turnout in blue districts overwhelmingly favoring Mamdani. His electorate included diverse demographic groups, including younger voters under the age of 45, who made up about 43% of the electorate. Mamdani will be New York's first Muslim mayor and has won solid support in heavily black neighborhoods that previously voted less heavily for him.

In summary, both obstetric care in Saarland and the political development in New York City are symbolic of larger social changes that are taking place in different regions.