MHB co-founder Horst-Michael Arndt passed away at the age of 75

Neuruppin, 7 April 2026
Horst-Michael Arndt, longtime managing director of Ruppiner Kliniken and co-founder of the Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane (MHB), died in the Ruppin hospice on 4 April 2026 at the age of 75. With his passing Brandenburg has lost an outstanding personality in regional healthcare provision and an important initiator of academic medicine.

He managed the Ruppiner Kliniken with immense personal commitment and strategic vision for more than two decades. When the shortage of physicians in rural areas became increasingly pronounced, he was among those who seized the initiative, based on the belief that medical care and education are inseparably linked.

He was quick to realize that Brandenburg can recruit young physicians only through medical training facilities in the region. He joined forces with interested parties in clinics and politics to promote the foundation of the MHB. The general plan took concrete shape in the early 2010s, with a key meeting in Potsdam in 2010 as an important turning point.  

The challenges were tremendous at that time, not least the need to find qualified personnel. Konrad Schily, who accompanied the MHB during the start-up phase, remembered the end of the Potsdam meeting when Arndt confided his considerable concerns and worries to him.

A milestone in developments in which Arndt, who left the clinics in 2012, played an important role was the foundation of the MHB in 2014. His dedication had a lasting impact on medical education in the State of Brandenburg and served to strengthen regional health provision.

Horst-Michael Arndt stood firm in his convictions and showed outstanding personal commitment. He understood that collective action is needed to establish a medical school. Three years ago, he recalled fellow campaigners who like him put their heart and soul into the big project, and he expressed his hope that this early enthusiasm would not be lost. In July 2024 he celebrated the tenth anniversary of the MHB together with students, staff and sponsors.

With his passing, Brandenburg loses a bridge builder between healthcare provision and medical education whose achievement will endure far beyond his death.