The next emergency call from the hospitals: the staffing situation is precarious, the emergency room is full. The first voices are already thinking about an ambulance payment. Will we have to pay for the hospital later?
More bad news from the hospitals! In the child and adolescent psychiatry of the Linz Kepler University Hospital (KUK), medical blood is being drained: the chief and chief physician will retire at the end of April and a specialist will move to another department. As of May 1, only one specialist and one assistant physician will remain in the children’s ward of Med Campus IV – plus an interim chief. An employee reports this to the “Krone” who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of consequences: “The situation is precarious, but hardly anyone dares to talk about it openly.”
“Extremely thin staff”
The affected primary school Michael Merl confirmed the staff shortage a few days before his retirement: “We can treat fewer children, we have to refer them to the established district or to the regional hospitals.” The second branch of youth psychiatry at Kepler University Hospital can be represented internally, “but the staffing is extremely thin”.
So thin that, according to an employee, the children’s ward at Med Campus IV had to be temporarily evacuated and closed in August. The reason: this is the only way the only remaining specialist can go on holiday. KUK director Franz Harnoncourt points to the EU-wide lack of specialists for child psychiatry. The two pension-related vacancies were posted in a timely manner, “however, applicants are difficult to reach”.
There are currently 137 job openings at Kepler Klinikum
This probably also applies to other departments. There are currently 48 unfilled medical positions at Kepler University Hospital, with nearly 900 physicians at Linz Hospital. The KUK advertised a total of 137 jobs. In addition to child and adolescent psychiatry, other areas are also affected: every tenth bed is blocked due to a lack of staff, patients have to lie ‘criss-cross’ (we reported).
ER overloaded
And the emergency department is bursting at the seams: “The situation is extremely stressful,” says KUK boss Harnoncourt. “We are calling for people to go to an outpatient clinic of the hospital only urgently or with an appointment.”
Other hospital operators even want to think about an excess for outpatient visits: those who want to go to the hospital have to pay. It is hoped that patients will first go to their GP and not directly to the hospital.
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.
