People with the rare disease cystic fibrosis fear worse care after pulmonology was broken up in Graz. “The threat to survival is accepted!”
About 800 people in Austria suffer from cystic fibrosis (CF), a genetic metabolic disorder. “It makes the mucus secretion tough,” explains Johannes Loesch from CF-Hilfe Austria. This mucus makes breathing difficult and promotes infection.
“Like chronic pneumonia”
The intestines and pancreas can also be affected. “It’s like chronic pneumonia,” says Loesch. “You’re on antibiotics frequently to constantly, and you need to have respiratory physical therapy.” Many patients require oxygen and a lung transplant. Life expectancy is currently around 50 years.
“In the lung diseases department of the university clinic, patients have been treated successfully and professionally for years,” says Loesch. But that can change now, the department is being broken up. “For those affected, this means a step backwards in the quality of care.”
To protect them from germs, CF patients often have to be housed in single rooms. “It needs very specifically trained staff,” says Loesch, who fears this could migrate. “And this is the only place where lifelong aftercare after a lung transplant takes place for everyone in southern Austria.”
Kages: “Avoid overload”
According to information from de Kages, there were 64 inpatient stays of children with CF and two of adults in the previous year. 25 adults and 115 children and adolescents received outpatient care. “A dissolution of the clinical department of lung diseases is not at all up for discussion. All measures are aimed at preventing permanent overloading of the nursing staff.
Regarding single rooms, Kages says that “the goal is to accommodate each patient in an environment that is appropriate for treatment.” And: “The standard care of CF patients, which mainly takes place on an outpatient basis, is guaranteed.”
Meanwhile, Johannes Loesch announced that he would not accept the “dismantling of well-functioning infrastructure”. “That means a dramatic deterioration in quality of life to the point where survival is compromised,” he says plainly.
Supply must be guaranteed
The responsible State Councilor Juliane Bogner-Strauß assures: “There is no doubt that the best possible care should be the goal of all health policy efforts. I have every confidence in the management of the University Hospital of Graz that, despite the tense staff situation, everything will be done to ensure the care of the seriously ill.”
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
