Pain patients with orthopedic conditions – especially children – need patience and high stamina in Vienna. Thousands are on the waiting list for surgery at the Speising Special Clinic. In some cases, it’s only your turn for nine months.
It’s not just the community clinics that suffer from staff shortages and many are leaving – we covered the hazard reports from several hospitals. Even the renowned Spital Speising, which specializes in orthopedics and belongs to the Vinzenz Group, can hardly keep up with all the work. Result: Even patients with a lot of pain wait nine months for hip or knee surgery.
Particularly affected children’s ward
An employee explains: “There is a special shortage of surgical nurses, many beds on the ward are closed.” You should know that Speising is a special clinic. Various interventions – especially in the field of pediatric orthopedics – can only be performed here, with the exception of the AKH. Nowhere else in Vienna or in the area.
Clinic spokesman Pierre Saffarnia explains the long waiting times as follows: “Because many employees were absent during the ‘hot’ corona phase due to a corona infection, operations had to be postponed. In addition, the shortage of nursing staff affects all healthcare facilities in Austria.”
Waiting list on the homepage of the clinic
At the moment, postponed operations are being made up. The waiting list is listed on the clinic’s website. And it promises one thing for those affected: prolonging their suffering. 1,675 patients are waiting for their injured knee to be repaired. Waiting time: 288 days. 1007 waiting for a new hip (265 days), only the spine is slightly faster. You’ll be on the table in just under three months. Average calculated.
“The appointments are ranked solely by medical criteria: acute or emergency surgeries come first,” Saffarnia says. The solution to the misery? Only feasible in the medium to long term. Train more nursing staff and make healthcare professions more attractive.
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.
