Supply at the limit: Patients suffer from waiting times!

Supply at the limit: Patients suffer from waiting times!

Österreich - The health sector in Austria is at a critical point. Yilmaz Gülüm will present on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at 9:05 p.m. in ORF 2 and on ORF on the "Report" for the supply situation. The report illuminates serious problems that patients currently have to endure. Many people are waiting for a knee operation for two and a half years and a whole year for appointments with specialists such as internists. These long waiting times are an expression of the overloaded system, which in the coming years faces a budget hole of 900 million euros in the Austrian health insurance fund. Savings in patient transports and preventive examinations have already been initiated, with patients particularly hard without access to election doctors. ots.at

The background of this crisis are complex. An important factor is that reform proposals have failed in the past in the past. However, the need for profound changes in the health system could be accelerated by an impending deficit procedure against Austria. As part of the report, the health city council of Vienna, Peter Hacker, will have their say and discuss current challenges.

health reform and structural challenges

In order to tackle the acute problems in the healthcare system, a comprehensive health care reform was launched. This reform aims to ensure high -quality medical care and to cope with the existing challenges. It is the largest structural reform in decades that are negotiated with the federal states and social security as part of the financial equalization. The federal government provides over 2 billion euros for health and care annually by 2028, which comprises a total of 14 billion euros. Social Ministry.gv.at

Key points of the health reform include the strengthening of the resident area and the structural reform in hospitals. With an annual budget of 300 million euros, an additional hundred cash register positions are to be created. An important aspect is the expansion of primary care centers and the introduction of digital offers, which should also meet the increasing demand. These measures are urgently necessary to improve long -awaited access to medical practices and to counteract the overcrowded hospitals.

Current health data and social challenges

dealing with the health system is also influenced by demographic changes. An aging society leads to increasing health and care services, while the number of health insurance doctors is consistently low. There are currently 7.43 million insurance relationships in social health insurance in Austria, which illustrates the need for a future -proof system. According to current statistics, the proportion of health expenditure in Austria in 2023 was around 55.1 billion euros, whereby a significant part flows into inpatient health care.

In addition to the structural challenges, there are social tensions. The debate about queer topics shows that society is polarized, the number of hate crimes against LGBTQ people has increased by 20 percent. These social and health challenges are reflected in a broader discussion about the role of politics and their measures in 2025.