Given the shortage of doctors in Austria, the Medical Association has launched a petition to guarantee long-term care. At the beginning of 2023, 300 cash registers were empty throughout Austria: “This trend is really worrying,” says Johannes Steinhart, president of the medical association.
For years, the development of vacant cash registers has known “only one direction – upwards”, according to the ÖÄK. In detail, the current study shows that there are 176 GP posts and 124 specialist posts vacant. In the latter case, paediatrics (29 vacancies), gynecology (23) and ophthalmology (16) are still the biggest problem children, the chamber explains.
appeal to supporters
“We have been warning for years that on the one hand a large wave of retirement is coming our way and on the other hand that austerity policies in the health sector are overburdening medical resources. Nobody wanted to hear that, now the situation can no longer be covered up,” says Steinhart. That is why a petition has been started with concrete suggestions for improvement. He appealed to the population to support these demands.
“We must now raise our voices together so that the widening gaps in general practitioner care can no longer be wiped out,” added Edgar Wutscher, Vice President of the Austrian Medical Association and Federal Curia President of General Practitioners. One had heard “enough speeches on Sunday, we urgently need countermeasures”. It doesn’t help to hear that only three percent of the tills are open. “It’s a slap in the face to anyone who has to wait weeks for an appointment or can’t find a doctor in their district,” says Wutscher.
The medical profession needs a future
For example, the petition contains demands for less bureaucracy, for new working time models and payment systems, and for making medical medicines available. “This is the only way to ensure that young people want to become doctors in the future,” say Steinhart and Wutscher. Politicians must act quickly and implement these improvements immediately or provide the Austrian health insurance fund with sufficient financial resources.
Source: Krone
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