The Lake Constance Medical Campus. dpa
The clinic scandal on Lake Constance is having its first personnel consequences. After serious allegations, the chief physician at the Lake Constance Medical Campus, Jochen Wöhrle, asked for leave on Wednesday at his own request. Wöhrle wants to protect his own reputation and the reputation of the hospital, according to the clinic management. The supervisory board had put massive pressure on Wöhrle. The Ravensburg public prosecutor’s office had previously initiated an investigation against Wöhrle and four assistant doctors at the hospital. It is about suspicion of negligent homicide, commercial fraud in 79 cases and failure to provide assistance.
There are now the first personnel consequences in the clinic scandal on Lake Constance. The chief physician at the Lake Constance Medical Campus, Jochen Wöhrle, asked the clinic management for his release on Wednesday. With this step, Wöhrle wants to protect his own and the clinic’s reputation, it is said. The clinic management agreed and Wöhrle is released with full pay.
The Ravensburg public prosecutor’s office had previously initiated an investigation against Wöhrle and four assistant doctors at the hospital. It is about suspicion of negligent homicide, commercial fraud in 79 cases and failure to provide assistance. A senior doctor took her own life last year after she drew attention to grievances in the hospital. Business Insider has the search warrant from the public prosecutor’s office, which lists the detailed allegations against Wöhrle and his doctors. We reported exclusively on Tuesday.
According to our information, the hospital’s supervisory board met on Tuesday and, in view of the public prosecutor’s investigation and the reputational risk for the hospital, pushed for personnel consequences. Both sides have now agreed on a workable solution under labor law.
The exemption should last until the end of the internal investigation
Accordingly, the exemption initially applies until an internal investigation initiated by the clinic to clarify the allegations against Wöhrle and his assistant doctors has been completed. The investigation is expected to end in the summer. They also want to wait for the public prosecutor’s investigation. Wöhrle’s return to his job is therefore not ruled out.
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The head of the supervisory board Andreas Brand says about the exemption: “It is important to me to emphasize that the presumption of innocence applies to all accused. But in order to ensure the patient’s well-being, to prevent further damage, both material and reputational, to the clinic and also in the interests of the chief physician, we have decided to release him until further notice.” Brand further explained: “This decision was not easy for us, However, after careful consideration, it is currently considered the best solution for both sides.” The exemption is subject to revocation until the clinic’s own examination has been completed. The other doctors who are also affected by the investigation should no longer be employed in self-responsible patient care for the period of the compliance investigation.
A lawyer for Wöhrle denies the allegations against his client: “In an external and independent expert report commissioned by the management of the Friedrichshafen Clinic from October 2023, all allegations made by the deceased doctor regarding an alleged lack of medical treatment quality were thoroughly examined and rejected as unfounded. However, the report found massive breaches of duty on the part of the doctor, whereupon consequences under labor law were considered.”
The lawyer goes on to say: “The quality of the intensive care care was also rated as very high. In order to provide the best possible clarification, the allegations will be re-investigated at the request of the supervisory board – a result is not yet available (…).”