An open power struggle is still raging within the Vienna Medical Association; a board meeting had to end Tuesday evening after two of the three vice presidents, Stefan Ferenci and Erik Randall Huber, left the room. Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) is now also speaking out. After Wednesday’s cabinet meeting, he appealed to medical representatives to “return to reason.”
He hopes that “the ability to talk will be restored”, but the minister apparently does not want that at the moment due to the chaotic circumstances. The Medical Association is needed as a negotiating partner in many matters, Rauch emphasized in the press foyer after the Council of Ministers.
“Pay attention to what image you present to the outside world”
Rauch called on the medical association to resolve the conflict within its ranks – “because I now believe that a professional representation must also pay attention to what image it presents to the outside world,” the minister said.
He called on all parties – and there are many now, “it is easy to lose sight of who has indicted whom” – to “return to reason” and restore the basis for discussion with each other, Rauch said . “We need the medical association as a professional representative, but also as a negotiating partner” in many matters. He hopes that reason will now return and “the ability to speak will be restored.”
“Transparent, political game”
The power struggle within the Vienna Medical Association, which had been simmering for months, had recently escalated further. On Tuesday afternoon, the entire presidency, except President Johannes Steinhart, called on him to resign. The reason is the events surrounding an extraordinary meeting of the Curia of local doctors last Friday, about which the opinions of the warring parties differ and where an argument is even said to have taken place.
In view of the meeting, Vice President Stefan Ferenci accused Steinhart of endorsing anti-democratic methods, but he also referred to the investigation by the Public Prosecution Service in connection with the purchasing platform Equip4Ordi, where Steinhart is also mentioned as a suspect. Steinhart has always rejected the accusations and spoke on Tuesday of a “transparent, political game”.
Steinhart calls for Huber’s impeachment
Steinhart also wrote to Viennese City Councilor for Health Peter Hacker (SPÖ) on Wednesday in a letter available on krone.at. In it he called for the resignation of curia chairman Erik Huber, who had already expressed his confidence during a meeting by a majority of the representatives.
Most recently, Huber allegedly demanded 10,000 euros from the Curia’s elected financial officer for a law firm he had appointed. When he did not immediately agree, he declared the speaker biased and appointed a confidant of Huber as the new finance officer. – who eventually released the money. This case has also already been submitted to MA 40 for assessment.
Steinhart also writes that Huber allegedly made the tape recordings of the alleged ‘scandal meeting’ on September 15 and only handed them over to MA 40 48 hours later: ‘Subject to an investigation’, one cannot therefore say with certainty whether the recordings would actually reflect the flow of the session.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
