There are still no doctors – reforms in the health sector are long overdue

Politicians said goodbye to the summer recess last week, but the major health care reform announced at the time is still awaited. The cabinet indicates that it is working intensively on this: “We are working at full speed on integrated reforms in the healthcare sector. Discussions are ongoing about this – both within the government and with the states and social insurance as part of the financial equalization system,” says the Ministry of Health.

First resolutions passed in parliament
The first important step has already been taken with the amendment of the Primary Care Act. This should enable the number of primary care facilities to be tripled in the next two years. According to reports, the ÖVP and the Greens intend to present three major reform steps at the Summer Council of Ministers at the end of July. The issue of the lack of doctors is especially exciting. The Medical Association recently warned of an impending wave of retirements and the exodus of doctors abroad.

Make public system more attractive
Oswald Wagner, Vice Rector of Clinical Affairs at MedUni Vienna, mentions several reform proposals for the “Krone”.

• The maximum permitted working hours in hospitals will be increased again,
• Parts of the training that have become obsolete have been removed without replacement
• and doctors are relieved of administrative tasks.
• In addition, rates in the private sector should be adjusted.

With 5.3 practicing doctors per 1000 inhabitants, Austria has the second highest density of doctors in the OECD area after Greece. In Switzerland and Germany there are only 4.4 doctors.

‘Distribution problem and no general shortage of doctors’
So there is no general shortage of doctors. “You cannot speak of a general shortage of doctors. There is rather a pure distribution problem, as the public, supply-relevant health sector has become unattractive,’ says Wagner.