Alarming waiting times: Carinthian doctors in the fight against overload!

Alarming waiting times: Carinthian doctors in the fight against overload!

The waiting times for doctor's appointments have risen massively in recent years, especially in Carinthia, where patients have to wait an average of 44 days for an appointment with the ophthalmologist, as a current study by opinion researcher Peter Hajek shows on behalf of the Vienna Medical Association. This waiting period was still nine days twelve years ago. The overload of medical capacities is mentioned as the main reason for this development. Wilhelm Kerber, Curium chairman of the resident doctors in Carinthia, reports that the number of cases has increased in recent years and that the number of consultations per patient has increased, which also affects the doctors. These problems also mean that appointment agreements are increasingly only possible online or personally.

In Germany, another study shows that many patients will immediately receive an appointment with a home or specialist, which means that they don't have to wait a day. Nevertheless, there were also respondents who experienced much longer waiting times. Important differences are shown between law and privately insured: However, the average waiting times seem to have approached in recent years. This emerges from the insured surveys of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV) and illustrates that while some patients receive immediate appointments, others have to fight with considerable delays, which further complicated the general situation in the health system.

overload in healthcare

The overload of the doctors affects not only the waiting times, but also the practice organization itself. In Carinthia, the Austrian health insurance fund develops a regional structural plan to improve the situation and create more cash offices. The organization of the appointments and the capacities of the practices play a crucial role in the Lenggth of Waiting Times. These challenges can not only be observed locally in Carinthia, but also throughout Germany, where patients come across different waiting situations, such as the data of KBV clarify.