Health summit for Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland: agreement in sight?

Health summit for Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland: agreement in sight?

On September 30, 2025, the focus will be on the topic of healthcare in the eastern region of Austria. Vienna's mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) has invited his counterparts, Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP) from Lower Austria and Hans Peter Doskozil (SPÖ) from Burgenland, to a health summit. While Mikl-Leitner is ready to seek dialogue, there is no response from Doskozil, which is further fueling the discussion about medical care in the region. The situation has already been described as a “never ending story”.

The City Councilor for Health in Vienna, Peter Hacker (SPÖ), is also planning talks with the responsible political representatives and wants to include the medical associations of the eastern region in the discussion. Ludwig aims to pool medical care and create an “Eastern Health Region” that includes all three federal states. Achieving this requires collaborative efforts and conversations, particularly in light of the challenges that guest patient care presents.

The situation of the guest patients

One of the crucial questions to be addressed at the summit concerns the guest patients in Vienna. The city spends around 610 million euros on these expenses every year. 80% of the guest patients come from Lower Austria and 12% from Burgenland. Johanna Mikl-Leitner noted that Lower Austria forgoes around 500 million euros annually to care for these patients. She also appeals to Ludwig to break down the existing boundaries in the health sector and to act with shared responsibility.

Worrying concerns are expressed in an open letter signed by the medical associations and patient advocates. Supply is seen as being at risk if no amicable solutions are found. Hacker was pleased with the positive signals from Lower Austria and plans to contact the new regional council.

Political rapprochement and challenges

The fronts had hardened recently, but a cautious rapprochement is emerging in talks between Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland. Ludwig argues that Vienna is financially disadvantaged and that the aforementioned expenses for guest patients are questioned by other countries. While the SPÖ Burgenland and the ÖVP Lower Austria doubt the figures, Mikl-Leitner emphasizes that it is fundamental not to raise any limits in health care. These points illustrate the great need for discussion and the need to raise the discussion to a constructive level.

The invitation to the health summit could be a possible turning point in overcoming the challenges in the eastern region. Only through joint discussions can a solution be found that ultimately benefits medical care and patients. Time will tell whether those responsible will take the right path.

For further information, see the relevant reports MyDistrict, ORF NOE and courier be read.