Why particle therapy must remain

What speaks in favor of particle therapy in Marburg is that it helps sick people who can hardly or not be helped otherwise. The fact that it is not a profit center should make it easier for the health insurance companies to continue financing.

DThe Marburg Particle Therapy Center, which has already had an eventful history, is once again facing decisive weeks. The center started operations much later than planned in 2015 before changing hands several times. However, the team and facility have been doing a good job treating specific cancers for some time. With their new boss radiating zest for action, the workforce wants to take off.

But first there are two hurdles to overcome. The talks with the medical technology manufacturer Siemens Healthineers should be a manageable task. Because the builder of the particle accelerator has already announced its willingness to continue working together. On the other hand, the forthcoming negotiations with the health insurance companies are much more difficult to assess.

Helping cancer patients who can hardly be helped otherwise

How can the high costs of treatment in the Marburg center be justified? What is the data situation after clinical studies? It will be about such questions. It is hardly surprising that this makes the head of the university hospital in Gießen and Marburg “restless”, as they say. Because such questions were already discussed before the last round of negotiations.

Now it is not inadmissible to ask such questions repeatedly. Because it is about contributions from insured persons. However, such an approach should not unsettle patients and staff again. The new contract for the future has only just calmed things down. It is correct: A therapy with heavy ions comprising 20 to 30 individual treatments is not cheap. It costs a five-figure sum, albeit a low one. Insurance companies spend a lot more money on the treatment of rare diseases.