The University Hospital of Giessen and Marburg (UKGM)
The University Hospital Giessen and Marburg (UKGM) provides medical care, advanced diagnostics, and comprehensive therapy at the highest international standards. As a tertiary care (maximum-care) hospital, it covers the full spectrum of modern medicine, from ophthalmology to traumatology and dentistry.
Key Figures and Facts
UKGM is the third-largest university hospital in Germany. Approximately 436,000 patients receive treatment each year across 80 departments at its two campuses in Giessen and Marburg, including 342,000 outpatients and 94,000 inpatients.
The hospital employs around 9,600 staff members across a wide range of professions, including physicians, nurses, laboratory specialists, physiotherapists, engineers, IT experts, and support personnel.
UKGM has made history in Germany as the first privatized university hospital in the country. In 2006, 95% of the hospital, with a capacity of 2,230 beds, was acquired by Rhön-Klinikum AG, while the federal state of Hesse retains a 5% ownership stake.
According to the Newsweek 2025 ranking, UKGM is included among the Top 100 hospitals in Germany, achieving a score of 73.90 based on expert evaluations, patient satisfaction surveys, and hygiene standards.
UKGM actively supports priority research conducted by the medical faculties of Justus Liebig University Giessen and Philipps University Marburg. The hospital also collaborates closely with medical technology manufacturers to develop innovative products and services that directly enhance patient care.
The core mission of UKGM is to deliver high-quality university-level medicine while promoting innovation, independence, and continuous advancement. The hospital aims to remain at the forefront of medical development both nationally and internationally.
Core Areas of Expertise
Robot-Assisted Surgery (da Vinci®)
In addition to open and laparoscopic procedures, the hospital offers robot-assisted surgery using the advanced da Vinci® Xi surgical system, enabling the application of the latest minimally invasive techniques.
The system translates and enhances the surgeon’s hand movements into highly precise instrument actions, offering a greater range of motion than the human hand and improved access to the surgical field.
At UKGM, robot-assisted procedures are performed in:
- Urology
- Bariatric surgery
- Visceral and general surgery
Urology
- Kidney tumor resection and renal pelvis surgery
- Prostate surgery, including radical prostatectomy
- Reconstructive procedures of the renal pelvis in ureteral obstruction
Bariatric Surgery
- Sleeve gastrectomy
- Mini gastric bypass (with Braun enteroenterostomy)
- Roux-en-Y gastric bypass
- Single anastomosis sleeve ileal (SASI) bypass
- Single anastomosis duodeno-ileal (SADI) bypass
- Revision and conversion procedures following previous bariatric surgeries or in cases of insufficient outcomes or complications
Visceral Surgery
- Thyroid surgery
- Resection of benign pancreatic tumors
- Abdominal wall and incisional hernia repair
- Gastric tumors
- Esophageal tumors
Ophthalmology
The Department of Ophthalmology in Giessen specializes in diseases of the anterior and posterior eye segments, orbital disorders, strabismus, and neuro-ophthalmological conditions. It offers the full range of modern conservative and surgical treatments, including:
- Retinology and vitreoretinal surgery
- Cataract surgery
- Glaucoma treatment
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
- Uveitis
- Strabology (strabismus treatment)
- Pediatric ophthalmology
- Ophthalmic genetics
- RPE65 gene therapy
- Electrophysiology and psychophysics
- Advanced imaging diagnostics
The Giessen Ophthalmology Clinic is the largest center in Germany for strabismus surgery, performing more than 1,000 procedures annually on over 2,400 extraocular muscles.