Essen University Hospital wins legal fight to restore full heart transplant program

Essen University Hospital has won a legal battle to keep its full heart transplant programme. The decision, made on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, reverses an earlier restriction that would have limited the facility to only combined heart-lung procedures. The ruling ensures the hospital can continue serving patients across North Rhine-Westphalia without new constraints. The dispute began when the Düsseldorf District Government restricted Essen University Hospital to performing only combined heart-lung transplants from April 2026. This move was part of a broader state hospital plan that assigned a competitor 30 cases, despite regional demand estimated at 40. The hospital, the only one in the state with deep experience in heart transplants, challenged the decision in court.

The Gelsenkirchen Administrative Court initially ruled in favour of Essen. However, the case was later reviewed by the Higher Administrative Court in Münster. There, judges questioned whether splitting transplant services across multiple centres was better than keeping them centralised. They also noted that combined heart-lung procedures are too rare to maintain surgical expertise on their own. On March 25, 2026, the Higher Administrative Court upheld the earlier ruling. This final decision allows Essen University Hospital to resume full heart transplant operations without the need for collaboration with other clinics.

The court's ruling secures Essen University Hospital's role as the primary centre for heart transplants in North Rhine-Westphalia. The facility will now continue its work without the previously imposed limits, ensuring patients have access to experienced surgeons. The decision also confirms the hospital's position as the region's leading provider of these life-saving procedures.