Health in Vienna: Podium discussion started to coping with the crisis

Health in Vienna: Podium discussion started to coping with the crisis

Wien, Österreich - On March 28, 2025, a panel discussion of health speakers took place at the invitation of the chamber for doctors in Vienna. This event served to exchange ideas and solutions in the run-up to the state and municipal council election. The elephant round was moderated by Martina Salomon, the publisher of the Kurier. The President of the Chamber, Johannes Steinhart, opened the discussion and named central challenges in the Vienna health system, including long waiting times, lack of personnel in hospitals and the need for improved care.

Steinhart called for better control of the patients. The SPÖ Health City Councilor Peter Hacker also commented on the current waiting times and emphasized that Vienna has the shortest waiting times in Austria, but is still dissatisfied. He announced an investment package of 5.5 billion euros to modernize the Viennese hospitals. The ÖVP councilor Michael Gorlitzer brought up the alarming situation of the lack of personnel and called vacant specialist departments as well as the need for new working models for experienced doctors.

waiting times in focus

In the current Viennese waiting time study, which was presented by the Vienna Medical Association, Johannes Steinhart expressed concern about health care in Austria. The study has shown significant deterioration in waiting times since 2012, especially in sought-after disciplines such as child and adolescent psychiatry and neurology. For example, the median waiting period for child and adolescent psychiatry in 2024 is 90 days, while the waiting time for neurology from 33 days in 2012 rose to 45 days in 2024. The waiting times in other disciplines have also increased. In gynecology, the waiting time has increased from 8 days to 32 days. The Medical Association starts the initiative "Let's go!" To improve health care and to draw the political decision -makers to the problems.

Over 30 percent of general practitioners can currently no longer accept new patients, which further tightens the situation. In recent years, the number of health insurance doctors has dropped by 12 percent, while the population of Vienna has increased by 16 percent. The Medical Association sees the problems in the cash register system as homemade, supported by years of savings in health care.

suggestions for reforms

Health spokesman Stefan Gara von der NEOS called for a fundamental structural reform, especially in the resident area, and mentioned the creation of eight children's primary care centers in Vienna. Barbara Huemer from the Greens addressed the job satisfaction of hospital doctors and emphasized the need for mandatory supervision and long -term overall planning in the health system. Wolfgang Seidl from the FPÖ criticized the long waiting times for operations and asked for more efficient use of the investment means.

The unity of all participants in the course of the discussion is remarkable: it is urgently necessary to initiate concrete reforms in order to strengthen the Viennese health system sustainably. This discussion and the resulting demands are becoming increasingly relevant in the context of the upcoming National Council elections in autumn 2024 and the Vienna state elections in 2025.

The challenges in the Austrian health system are not only locally, but also affect nationwide. The Ministry of Health has repeatedly initiated reforms, including the introduction of a new control system that aims to coordinate more coordination between levels of government and self -administration bodies. In addition, country profiles created by the European Observatory for Health Systems regularly offer valuable insights into the developments and reforms of health systems in Europe.

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