Veterinary care at risk: urgent action required!

Veterinary care at risk: urgent action required!

Veterinary care in Austria faces major challenges. The President of the Austrian Chamber of Veterinarians, Mag. Kurt Frühwirth, has presented a comprehensive package of demands that addresses urgently needed measures to improve veterinary care to the future federal government. One of the central demands is to make veterinary practices more financially attractive, especially in the area of ​​livestock medicine, to ensure that comprehensive veterinary care can also be guaranteed in rural regions, as shown OTS.at reports.

Supply crisis and training reform

A current study on “Veterinary medical care in Austria”, published by the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna in collaboration with the Chamber of Veterinarians and the Federal Ministry of Labor, shows that a third of veterinary doctors in farm animal practices are underserved. This is worrying because many practitioners are of the older generation and will retire in the coming years. This could lead to an acute supply bottleneck, especially in structurally weak regions such as Vetmeduni.ac.at highlights. In order to increase the attractiveness of the profession, the training content must be modernized, in particular the legal and business aspects must be integrated.

Another critical point in the package of demands is maintaining flexibility for self-employed veterinarians and reducing bureaucratic hurdles that place a significant burden on everyday practice. Frühwirth is calling for government support for maternity protection regulations in order to reduce the existential threat to veterinary practices. The call to politicians is clear: in order to ensure veterinary care at a high level, these elements must be included in the upcoming government program.