Outpatient Patients - Tailwind for Call for Joint Planning

In the health structure plan, four supply zones are also depicted, including the eastern supply zone, which must be planned and financed together, as Huss explained in the Ö1 "Morning Journal". Meanwhile, Lower Austria signaled its willingness to engage in discussions.

He has no understanding for the discussion being carried out "on the backs" of the patients, said Huss: "That is, of course, not acceptable." However, he can very well understand "that Vienna must defend itself at some point." Vienna's Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) had calculated the day before that the costs for guest patients in the federal capital amounted to 610 million euros last year. The increase since 2020 is therefore significant. At that time, it was still 362 million euros. This already deducts the funds from the financial equalization and expenses caused by Viennese in other federal states. Ludwig therefore once again called for supra-regional planning.

"Lower Austria is always ready for talks"

"Lower Austria is always ready for talks," emphasized Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP) on Wednesday on the sidelines of a press conference in Tulln. There is a "very close, interconnected cooperation" in the eastern region. "And I do not think it is right to erect borders here, especially in the health sector, in health care."

"500 million euros go to Vienna year after year through the financial equalization to be able to cover certain services," Mikl-Leitner also calculated. The figures mentioned by the Viennese side "we cannot comprehend," said the state leader.

Ludwig promptly welcomed the offer of talks from Lower Austria. "We must quickly come to a solution here, because the well-being of the patients must always be the top priority for those politically responsible," the Vienna Mayor let it be known in a statement to the APA. Ludwig now wants to "quickly" invite to a health summit for the eastern region. This should develop a solution with the involvement of experts.

Not Just Financing

According to Huss, joint planning can certainly go far beyond just financing. After all, there are discussions in all federal states about which hospitals are necessary and whether locations can be merged. Here, Huss also sees the federal government as having a duty: "A joint hospital planning, which is tackled at the federal level, is long overdue."

From Huss's perspective, negotiations for this could be started "at any time." In fact, they are already on the verge of negotiations for the next financial equalization. It would be sensible to "take a look at the hospital landscape as a whole now."

Support from the Greens

Support for the demand also came from the Greens on Wednesday: "No one in Austria understands why the demand for cross-state planning of hospitals and hospital capacities has not long been implemented," says their health spokesperson Ralph Schallmeiner. The legal possibility exists, but no federal state uses it. The sufferers are the patients, says Schallmeiner, who sees not only the federal states but also the governors as being called upon to sit down at the table.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.