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At the Leipzig Deaconesses’ Hospital, a major project close to our hearts and one that looks to the future is now nearing completion. It is a dedicated palliative care unit, where specialist palliative care will henceforth be centralised in one location and further expanded. The official opening took place on 18 August 2026 as part of a ceremony attended by invited guests. However, the start of patient care has had to be postponed at short notice by a few weeks to around the beginning to mid-October 2026. This is due to last-minute delays in the construction work and in fitting out the premises.
The construction project, costing around 3.3 million euros, was funded 80 per cent by grants from the Free State of Saxony and 20 per cent from the hospital’s own resources. The new palliative care ward features six single rooms and a spacious communal area with a terrace overlooking the grounds. The extension is situated in a strategically important location within the hospital and has a direct link to the geriatric ward.
A palliative care consultation service has been operating here throughout the hospital since 2019, offering in-patient patients palliative care as part of their treatment where required. This service was established and has been continuously developed by Senior Consultant Dr Anja Mende from the Department of Anaesthesiology, Intensive Care and Pain Management. Following her close involvement in the multi-year project development and detailed planning, the palliative care specialist will also take on the clinical management of the palliative care ward.
A place of compassionate care
“The fact that we will have our own palliative care ward from October is of great significance for the further development of our hospital,” emphasised Dirk Herrmann, Commercial Director of the Diakonissenkrankenhaus Leipzig. “This will enable us to live up even better to our commitment to caring and compassionate medicine and to offer new care options for people who rely on such support.”
And Dr Anja Mende, Head of the new palliative care unit, explained: “I am very happy and grateful that a long-cherished wish has become a medical reality and that we now have a permanent place where specialised palliative care can be provided. Together with my highly specialised and multi-professional team, we will devote all our energy to ensuring that everyone here can experience what good palliative care in a Christian-based hospital stands for. Our palliative care unit is intended to be a place of listening, of relief and of compassionate support.”
140 guests and a donation cheque
Around 140 high-ranking representatives from the fields of medicine, politics and the wider community attended the opening ceremony for the palliative care unit on Tuesday, 18 August 2026. These included, amongst others, Annett Oertel (Head of Division for Hospital Services at the Saxon State Ministry for Social Affairs, Health and Social Cohesion), Dr Andrea Schultz (Chair of the Alt-West District Council in Leipzig), Friedrich R. München (Managing Director of the Saxony Hospital Association) and Christian Kreusel (among other roles, Chair of the Shareholders’ Meeting of AGAPLESION MITTELDEUTSCHLAND gGmbH). Each of them also addressed the guests with a brief welcome speech.
As part of the ceremony, members of the board of the Ilse Schwarz Foundation presented a donation cheque for 5,000 euros to palliative care specialist Dr Anja Mende in the chapel of the Deaconess Hospital. Photo: Kay Zimmermann
As part of the official opening ceremony, a donation cheque for 5,000 euros was also presented to the treatment team at the palliative care unit. The funds have been provided by the Ilse Schwarz Foundation and will go towards equipping and fitting out the new premises. The charitable foundation is particularly committed to honouring the memory of the Leipzig deaconesses and supporting the medical work of the Deaconess Hospital.
Petra Köpping, Saxony’s Minister of State for Social Affairs, Health and Social Cohesion, said on this occasion: “With this grant of 2.62 million euros, the Free State has made this important project for modern palliative care at the Evangelical Deaconess Hospital in Leipzig possible. This will eliminate unnecessary burdens on patients and staff caused by long waiting times and transfers in future. We are sending a clear message: Here, the focus is on the individual and their dignity. A place of comfort and security is being created. Particularly in view of our ageing society in the Free State of Saxony and our citizens’ right to high-quality care, I would like to thank everyone who has been committed to bringing this project to fruition.”
Donations for a good cause
If you are interested, you can support palliative care at the Diakonissenkrankenhaus Leipzig by making a donation. Specifically, the funds raised in this way will be used, amongst other things, to fulfil small wishes – or, where appropriate, final wishes – of palliative care patients. If required, a donation receipt can be issued which is tax-deductible (provided the donor states their full name and address when making the transfer).
Donation account:
Ev. Diakonissenkrankenhaus Leipzig
IBAN: DE88 3702 0500 0004 4750 01
SozialBank AG
Reference: Donation to palliative care unit (order no. 313690)
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