Braunau rescue service: Over 23,000 missions – busy!

Braunau rescue service: Over 23,000 missions – busy!

In the Braunau district, the rescue service carried out a total of 23,152 missions from January to September 2024, which means an average of 84 trips per day. This remarkable number illustrates the commitment of paramedics to emergency patients and patient transport. Daniela Renker, coordinator of the rescue service, found that of these operations, only 4,046 were blue light trips. These missions are crucial to bring patients home after medical treatments or hospital stays, but the high number of patient transports ties up valuable resources that are needed for acute emergencies, such as meinkreis.at reported.

Challenges in patient transport

Patients will only be transported if a doctor issues a transport certificate. The Austrian Health Insurance Fund is responsible for covering the costs if there is a medical necessity. Relatives can also have part of the costs for transport over 20 kilometers reimbursed. Another offer are taxi companies that carry out patient transport without paramedics, for which the health insurance company reimburses the full costs. Renker emphasizes the importance of these alternatives, as they enable the Red Cross to respond more quickly to acute emergencies if relatives or taxis can take over the transport.

However, the Red Cross does not only offer patient transport. As providers of mobile help and support, they support residents in the Braunau district. Whether it's personal hygiene, dressing or housekeeping, the Red Cross's qualified specialists help people to master their everyday lives independently. The team, consisting of specialist social workers and home helpers, works with doctors to develop tailor-made care concepts that meet the individual needs of patients, such as: Roteskreuz.at executed. The Red Cross not only takes care of emergencies, but also provides support in everyday life.