New center for general medicine in Düsseldorf: A milestone for NRW!

New center for general medicine in Düsseldorf: A milestone for NRW!

An exciting new step in healthcare is being taken in North Rhine-Westphalia: The West German Center for General Medicine (WZA) is taking shape and is being founded in Düsseldorf. The initiative, which was launched in the course of discussions with the Minister for Culture and Science Ina Brandes and the Minister for Labor, Health and Social Affairs Karl-Josef Laumann, aims to pool the expertise of the medical faculties in the region and thus strengthen general medicine in North Rhine-Westphalia. Key players such as the University of Witten/Herdecke, the Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf and the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen are on board.

The “Competence Association for General Medicine NRW” was founded in 2012, which served as the basis for the WZA. In March 2025, the decision was made to found the center, which is made up of a total of nine universities that pool their resources and knowledge. In addition to the institutions already mentioned, these also include the University of Bielefeld, the Ruhr University of Bochum, the University of Bonn, the University of Duisburg-Essen and the University of Cologne as well as the University of Münster. This cooperation promises a comprehensive improvement in university training in general medicine.

Five pillars of cooperation

The WZA will be based on five central pillars: research, teaching, training, further education and training as well as primary care. The NRW Family Medicine Research Practice Network (HAFO.NRW) plays a key role with over 350 practices that serve as an interface for innovative research projects. The topics of digitalization and sustainability in primary care practices, which are of great importance for future patient care, are particularly interesting.

Through the desired collaborations with other departments and institutions, such as the West German Center for Child and Adolescent Health and the North Rhine-Westphalia Cancer Registry, the WZA will further expand its research activities. In addition, special training courses are planned to ensure that primary care is always up to date and meets the needs of the population.

Optimization of university education

Another goal of the West German Center for General Medicine is to optimize university training. The aim is to develop common teaching content that enables cross-location exchange and thus promotes homogeneous education in general medicine. Cooperation with competence centers in North Rhine and Westphalia-Lippe is also an important part of these efforts.

The management of the WZA will take place in a rotating structure, with the University of Witten/Herdecke taking the first position. The legal status of the individual universities remains unaffected, which means that they can continue to act independently.

In summary, it can be said that the WZA not only represents progress for general medicine in North Rhine-Westphalia, but is also a sign of the importance of networking research and teaching in medicine. This initiative will sustainably improve medical care for the population and make it fit for the future, and that is truly a reason to celebrate!

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