Urgent call to politicians: Save trauma surgery care!

Urgent call to politicians: Save trauma surgery care!

At the LKH Hochsteiermark in Bruck an der Mur, the need for structural reforms in the healthcare system was urgently discussed. Doctors and nursing representatives called on politicians to initiate these measures immediately. During a press conference, two options for future trauma surgery care were presented. The preferred variant envisages the establishment of a regional trauma center at the Leoben location, supplemented by trauma clinics available around the clock in Bruck and Judenburg. This solution, which is aligned with the wishes of the medical community, is intended to significantly improve the quality of care, as meinbezirk.at reported.

However, the second variant, which will come into force from January 13, 2025, only provides for limited care within the framework of an outpatient clinic, which is due to the acute shortage of staff. There is a lack of six specialists in the ortho-trauma department alone, and a total of between ten and fifteen specialists are missing in the Mur and Mürztal. The chairman of the coordination committee for security of supply, Erich Schaflinger, said in this regard: "In order to implement variant one, we need more staff. In order to acquire this, structural adaptations across providers are urgently needed."

Urgent structural reform as an opportunity

He sees the desired structural reform as a major challenge, but also as an opportunity for better networking and the creation of priorities at the various KAGes locations. This includes the establishment of a day surgery center in Bruck, which the surgical departments from Leoben use, and the strengthening of the Mürzzuschlag location as a geriatric medicine center. These reforms are already being implemented, as kages.at describes.

Under the leadership of KAGes CEO Gerhard Stark, the innovative strength of the employees is highlighted as the key to high-quality medical care. The planned changes are intended to help keep surgical care up to date with the latest medical standards and to intensify existing collaborations between different clinics and specialist areas. A joint commitment by medical directors and nursing managers is necessary in order to successfully implement the structural reforms.