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Alarming waiting times: Carinthian doctors in the fight against overload!
Waiting times for doctor’s appointments in Carinthia are increasing dramatically. A study shows the challenges in the health system and necessary reforms.
Alarming waiting times: Carinthian doctors in the fight against overload!
Waiting times for doctor's appointments have increased massively in recent years, especially in Carinthia, where patients have to wait an average of 44 days for an appointment with an ophthalmologist, as a current study by pollster Peter Hajek on behalf of the Vienna Medical Association shows. Twelve years ago this waiting time was nine days. The overload of medical capacities is cited as the main reason for this development. Wilhelm Kerber, chairman of the resident doctors in Carinthia, reports that the number of cases has increased in recent years and the number of consultations per patient has increased, which puts additional strain on doctors. These problems also mean that appointments are increasingly only possible online or in person.
In Germany, another study shows that many patients receive an appointment with their family doctor or specialist immediately, meaning they don't have to wait a day. However, there were also respondents who experienced significantly longer waiting times. There are important differences between those with statutory and private insurance: However, the average waiting times appear to have converged in recent years. This emerges from the surveys of insured persons by the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV) and makes it clear that while some patients receive immediate appointments, others have to contend with considerable delays, which further complicates the general situation in the healthcare system.
Overload in the healthcare system
The overload of doctors not only affects waiting times, but also the organization of the practice itself. In Carinthia, the Austrian Health Insurance Fund is developing a regional structural plan to improve the situation and create more health insurance offices. The organization of appointments and the capacities of the practices play a decisive role in the length of waiting times. These challenges can be observed not only locally in Carinthia, but also across Germany, where patients encounter different waiting situations, as the data from KBV clarify.