The flood disaster did not stop at the ordinations. Many doctors had to close temporarily, and a family doctor from St. Pölten does not even answer the door.
“I can’t and don’t want to go on” – Stefan Mrass is at his wits’ end. His ordination at the Alpenbahnhof in St. Pölten was literally flooded. The needle stream, normally a trickle in a local recreation area, had completely submerged the area during the storm.
The damage to the GP practice is also enormous. “I would have to invest 100,000 euros to be able to open it again,” says Mrs.
“Don’t rebuild everything”
Too much for the now 62-year-old – especially since he had to put in a similar amount fifteen years ago, a year after the opening of his ordination. Then too, the Nadelbach had passed.
“I don’t want to rebuild everything and then the water will come back in two years,” he said resignedly. He doesn’t want to think about retirement at the moment, but he certainly won’t have an ordination in St. Pölten anymore.
With this, Dr. Mrass has created a big hole in the health care system of the state capital. His patients now have to go to other statutory health insurance companies, which are often already at their capacity limit. On average, there were around 2,200 patients per GP in St. Pölten at the beginning of this year.
Health centers were also hit by the storm
Mrass is far from the only doctor affected by the floods in Lower Austria. According to the health insurance fund (ÖGK), three other contract partners in the districts of Amstetten, Lilienfeld and Tulln had to close for a longer period of time. Eight doctors were unable to open their practices for two days, and 20 doctors were unable to care for their patients for at least one day.
Implications for health care
St. Pölten and the two dental centres in Amstetten and Krems, health insurers themselves, also fell victim to the floods. According to the ÖGK, the consequences of the disaster for the health care system in Lower Austria were generally limited. “Since most ordinations were only closed for a maximum of two days, no further measures had to be taken,” says the “Krone”.
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.
