High-ranking political visit to the Sportklinik Hellersen
Focus on health and hospital policy, innovation, internationalization, and Olympic prospects
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State Secretary Matthias Heidmeier (second from left) visited the Sportklinik Hellersen and exchanged views with Dirk Burghaus (left), CEO of the Sportklinik Hellersen, as well as Stefan Klett, President of the Landessportbund NRW and Sporthilfe NRW e.V., and board member Stephan Franz.
The Sportklinik Hellersen has been the focus of political interest on several occasions: Among others, Matthias Heidmeier, State Secretary in the Ministry of Labor, Health, and Social Affairs of North Rhine-Westphalia, CDU parliamentary group leader Thorsten Schick, and Heinrich Böckelühr, District President of the Arnsberg District Government, visited the clinic to learn about the work, development, and future strategies of the specialist clinic in Lüdenscheid.
Dirk Burghaus, CEO of Sportklinik Hellersen, and Stefan Klett, President of Landessportbund NRW and Sporthilfe NRW e.V., the organization that runs Sportklinik Hellersen, gave the politicians an insight into the clinic's modern, cutting-edge medicine, its international focus, and the close connection between medicine and sport.
"The Sportklinik Hellersen is an outstanding example of specialization, innovation, and commitment in healthcare. It shows how modern medicine and top athletic performance can go hand in hand."
Matthias Heidmeier
Staatssekretär im Ministerium für Arbeit, Gesundheit und
Soziales des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen
Topics of the future: Healthcare, international bridges and innovation
The discussions focused, among other things, on the history of Sportklinik Hellersen, its orientation as a highly specialized clinic, and important developments. One important point was the internationalization strategy. With Hellersen Hospital, the specialist clinic has been building international bridges since 2023 and making its medical expertise available worldwide. The clinic is currently undergoing the qualification process with the Arab Board of Health Specializations — a step that will make it the first institution worldwide to be authorized to train Arab medical specialists outside the United Arab Emirates.
Thorsten Schick (right) was also visiting to find out more about the services offered by the Sportklinik Hellersen.
The field of endoprosthetics has also been specifically strengthened, and a significant milestone has been reached with the new robotics center, which was opened at the end of last year by NRW Health Minister Karl-Josef Laumann, opening up state-of-the-art surgical possibilities in Lüdenscheid. The Sportklinik Hellersen has also undergone targeted development in other areas in recent years: the Deutsches Wirbelsäulen- und Skoliosezentrum was established and has been continuously expanded.
"The Sportklinik Hellersen stands for highly specialized care and great commitment to competitive sports. Facilities like this strengthen North Rhine-Westphalia as a sporting region — and we need precisely such structures if we want to position ourselves internationally with an Olympic bid."
Stefan Klett
President of the Landessportbundes NRW
During the visits, the planned Olympic bid by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia was also discussed — a topic that met with great interest from all those involved. As a long-standing partner of organized sports, the Sportklinik Hellersen already makes an important contribution to the sports medical care and support of athletes. “The Sportklinik Hellersen stands for highly specialized care and great commitment to competitive sports. Facilities like this strengthen North Rhine-Westphalia as a sports state – and we need precisely such structures if we want to position ourselves internationally with an Olympic bid,” emphasizes Stefan Klett.
"The fact that the Sportklinik Hellersen already cares for numerous Olympic athletes makes it an indispensable component in the care of top athletes in Germany."
Thorsten Schick
CDU-state parliamentary party leader
Close commection to competitive sports
This goes hand in hand with the Sportklinik Hellersen's involvement in elite sports — in particular, the role of individual physicians as team and association doctors. "The fact that the Sportklinik Hellersen already cares for numerous Olympic athletes makes it an indispensable component in the care of elite athletes in Germany. The clinic is a beacon of medical care and enjoys an excellent reputation far beyond the region. I was particularly impressed by how high-tech medicine and personal commitment go hand in hand here. Having such a facility in our region sends a strong signal for the Rhine-Ruhr Olympic bid," says Thorsten Schick.
The political visits made it clear that the Sportklinik Hellersen is valued far beyond the region as a medical center of excellence — not only for its professional excellence, but also as a source of ideas and a partner in the exchange between politics, health, and sports.
“Visits from political representatives are always a valuable opportunity for us to present our work and talk about the future of healthcare,” emphasizes Dirk Burghaus. “Open dialogue with state politicians is crucial for jointly shaping the future of modern, high-quality medicine.”
