An 86-year-old woman has been shot dead by her 88-year-old husband at a hospital in Vienna’s 10th district, Favoriten, in front of other patients, police have announced.

The shooting occurred on Thursday afternoon in the neurology ward of the Favoriten Clinic (formerly Kaiser-Franz-Josef Hospital), where the woman had been hospitalised since July. The man then shot himself.

A hospital spokesperson stated that operations continued largely unaffected by the incident, with only the emergency access to neurology blocked until 18:00. Staff were promptly informed that the situation was safe and were offered support from a crisis intervention team and other caregivers.

In 2019, the Favoriten Clinic was also the scene of a violent incident when a patient stabbed a doctor in the cardiology department. The doctor survived the attack, which was apparently triggered by delusions.

Today’s incident prompted discussions about tightening security measures in hospitals, according to Markus Pederiva, spokesperson for the Vienna Health Association.

“We have open hospitals,” Pederiva stated. Patients and visitors can move freely “without bag checks or similar measures at the entrance, and this is a deliberate choice,” he emphasised.

With more than three million patient interactions per year, implementing security measures akin to those at airports is “not realistic.” Regarding the latest tragic incident, Pederiva commented: “A man had a plan and carried it out. I don’t know how something like this could have been prevented.”