Vienna’s Patients’ and Nursing Advocate Gerhard Jelinek gave a poor assessment of the healthcare system. Staff shortages in hospitals and outpatient care often lead to long waiting times and a two-tier medical system, he criticized Thursday at the presentation of the 2024 annual report. Statutory health insurance patients are particularly affected. Jelinek called for a nationwide agreement on health insurance services and a coordinated healthcare plan for Austria’s eastern region.
The Patients’ Advocacy Office was contacted around 9,000 times last year. Roughly 1,000 general complaints and about 900 allegations of possible treatment errors were recorded, resulting in approximately €3.25 million in compensation awarded or paid out. The largest share of documented cases concerned municipal or private hospitals.
Staff shortages as the main issue
According to Jelinek, one issue dominated: “The main topic was and is staff shortages.” The quality of medical care is “generally acceptable,” he said. However, there were numerous complaints about unreasonable waiting times. For planned operations, these sometimes exceeded a year. He also identified significant shortages in psychiatry, particularly for children and adolescents.
The combined effects of rising life expectancy and a wave of retirements in healthcare are taking a toll. The consequence is that people increasingly need supplementary insurance or must pay privately if they want faster appointments. This results in a two-tier healthcare system. Jelinek therefore demanded an increase in the number of doctors and nursing staff. While this cannot happen immediately, he said urgent measures are needed to counteract the problem.
He further described the situation for patients with Long Covid or ME/CFS as “tragic.” Care in both outpatient and inpatient sectors was inadequate, he complained. Interdisciplinary clinics had even been closed. Added to this, the Pension Insurance Institution (PVA) took a rigid approach when reviewing social security claims.
Calls for an eastern region plan and nationwide contract
According to Jelinek, the number of complaints from so-called guest patients also remained high. People from Lower Austria reported experiencing disadvantages. The patients’ advocate urged unified healthcare planning covering both service provision and funding. He also saw an urgent need for action regarding panel doctors. He criticized delays in concluding a nationwide agreement, arguing that the current benefits catalog does not provide incentives to take over a health insurance practice. Without such an agreement, there is a risk of further physicians shifting into the private sector.
Another recurring subject of complaints was the availability of medicines, particularly in the area of diabetes care. Jelinek noted that the rising popularity of weight-loss injections has caused shortages of medications intended for diabetes patients.
On a positive note, complaints about waiting times for radiological examinations have decreased. According to the Patients’ Advocacy Office, this was likely due to an increase in the number of health-insurance-financed MRI machines.
Opposition holds the city accountable
The opposition placed responsibility for the situation on the city government, particularly Health Councilor Peter Hacker (SPÖ). The crisis was self-inflicted, said Vienna FPÖ councilor Angela Schütz. “While patients with supplementary insurance or deep pockets are treated preferentially, others must wait for months.” This situation was not only unacceptable, she argued, but could also dramatically worsen patients’ conditions.
Barbara Huemer, health spokesperson for Vienna’s Greens, was also concerned: “The report paints a grim picture of old and new problems.” The healthcare sector resembled an ever-growing construction site. The recommendations must be taken seriously, she said, stressing the urgency of financial planning for the eastern region.
The ÖVP also described the report as documenting “alarming” developments. “Instead of always making excuses and blaming others, SPÖ Health Councilor Hacker must finally implement genuine reforms in Vienna’s healthcare system on the basis of this report. It is more than time to finally take responsibility,” said acting party chairman Markus Figl.
Medical Association agrees with diagnosis
The president of the Vienna Medical Association, Johannes Steinhart, said he shared Jelinek’s assessment. The chamber had long warned that Vienna’s healthcare system was suffering from massive capacity problems. “The chamber has already developed new, modern, multiprofessional concepts to secure medical care in the long term, which are just waiting to be implemented,” he said in a statement. The Medical Association, he stressed, was ready to contribute its expertise as a partner in the further development of healthcare in Vienna.
