Inpatient and outpatient medical care in Bonn is of a high standard: in the inpatient sector, around 20 hospitals, clinics and specialist outpatient clinics contribute to this, including Bonn University Hospital with its 38 clinics and 31 institutes. In the outpatient sector, over 1,000 registered doctors, psychotherapeutic practices, physiotherapy practices and other therapists are active in patient care. 

Around 100 pharmacies and companies in the healthcare sector ensure that the population is supplied with medicines and medical products close to home. 

The broad spectrum of medical and pharmaceutical research in Bonn is supported by both university and non-university institutions. The focus is on neuromedicine, medicine of ageing, life sciences and pharmacology.  

As an employment-intensive sector, healthcare makes a significant contribution to employment subject to social security contributions: in mid-2023, there were around 35,800 employees subject to social security contributions in the healthcare and social services sector in Bonn. The core area of healthcare alone (inpatient and outpatient care, therapeutic practices, specialist retail and healthcare trades) accounted for almost 24,450 employees, which corresponds to around 13 % of all employees subject to social security contributions in Bonn. 

Important ministries, authorities, foundations and associations in the healthcare sector are based in Bonn. Their areas of activity are extremely diverse and range from the governmental policy tasks of the federal ministries and the charitable work of the foundations to the political and professional representation of specific sectors, professional and patient groups by the associations based in Bonn. 

Examples include the Federal Ministry of Health, the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM), the headquarters of the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE), the WHO European Center for Environment and Health, the German AIDS Foundation, the ZNS-Hannelore Kohl Foundation, the German Cancer Aid Foundation, the Rheuma League Federal Association, the German Doctors Association and the Cystic Fibrosis Association. 

One of the aims of the Bonn Economic Development Agency's networking activities in the healthcare sector is to increase transparency about local and regional healthcare services, identify current topics and address them in appropriate formats. 
In addition to the close cooperation with the health department of the city of Bonn, cooperation with the Rhein-Sieg district and the district of Ahrweiler and, in particular, the involvement of the Bonn Economic Development Agency in Gesundheitsregion KölnBonn e. V. should also be mentioned. 

The City of Bonn and other regional authorities in the region are founding members of the association, which was established in 2009 and currently has more than 140 companies, institutions and players in the healthcare sector as members. Its purpose is to promote and network science, research, business, healthcare and other areas in the medicine and healthcare cluster in the Cologne/Bonn region.  

The Gesundheitsregion KölnBonn e.V. now comprises a total of ten regional authorities, eight of which are in North Rhine-Westphalia and two in Rhineland-Palatinate. 

Hospitals and clinics are increasingly focusing on information security. This is because increasing digitalization in the healthcare sector also offers new points of attack and targets for cybercrime. At the same time, legal regulations require IT systems and data to be verifiably protected using state-of-the-art technology. 

In 2023, with the impetus of Gesundheitsregion KölnBonn e.V., the starting point was set for the formation of an “Information Security in Hospitals” network - NIK for short - which is also supported by the Cyber Security Cluster Bonn e.V. The starting point was a network meeting at the Digital Hub in Bonn, to which managing directors and IT managers from hospitals and clinics in the Cologne/Bonn region were invited.

NIK receives idealistic support and cooperation from the Bonn Economic Development Agency, the Bonn/Rhein-Sieg Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the Cologne Chamber of Industry and Commerce and the Köln Business Wirtschaftsförderungs-GmbH. 

The Information Security in Hospitals Network is currently being further developed and plans, among other things, to actively exchange knowledge among hospitals and clinics and to further disseminate information security know-how in hospitals in the Cologne/Bonn region, make it more usable and also network regional expertise.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)