New primary care centers in Wels: A hope for patients

New primary care centers in Wels: A hope for patients

In the city of Wels there will soon be significant changes in medical care: two new primary care centers are opened in order to cover the increasing need for general medical care. The Initiative is said to be a reaction to the difficulties with which patients and doctors are faced with existing health care. The general outpatient clinics in the Wels-Grieskirchen Clinic currently have a high capacity utilization, which means that many people have to wait for treatment.

On January 1, 2025, the first primary supply center in Wels St. Anna will open its doors with a total of four doctors. In the course of the year, another center will enter Wels St. Stephan, which will then include a team of six. These steps are necessary because the past few months have shown how precarious the situation is. According to Elisabeth Modler, who heads the general outpatient clinic in the clinic, the numbers are alarming: Two doctors face a trunk of around 100 patients.

The current challenge

The demand for general practitioners has increased significantly through the retirement of numerous general practitioners. "Many patients are really grateful that they now have at least a doctor who take care of them," reports Modler. However, there are still many people without a permanent family doctor who in the meantime come to initial talks in the outpatient clinic. A worrying sign of this increasing burden in the region.

Wolfgang Ziegler, a representative of the resident doctors from the Upper Austria Medical Association, also has an eye on the situation. As of October 1, 2024, ten places of a total of 26 cash register for general medicine in the region were vacant, which corresponds to more than a quarter of the available places. This high number of unoccupied areas means an immense burden for the remaining doctors and has questioned the quality of medical care in Wels and the surrounding area. "The new centers will certainly help, but they are just a start and do not immediately relieve the acute problems," said Ziegler.

The opening of the two primary care centers could be a positive step for the medical infrastructure in Wels. Healthcare increasingly becomes a hot topic in the city, and the development of these centers could be a first step in the right direction. The medical situation in the city is still being observed closely, and those responsible know that the challenges cannot be solved overnight.

Even if the new institutions represent a clear improvement, it remains to be seen whether they will be enough to cover the acute needs and to eliminate the existing bottlenecks. More details on this topic can be found in a detailed report on ooe.orf.at .