Vienna is struggling with guest patients: 610 million euros in additional costs in 2024!

Vienna is struggling with guest patients: 610 million euros in additional costs in 2024!

The discussion about health care in Vienna is becoming more and more intense by the city government. Mayor Michael Ludwig and City Councilor for Health Peter Hacker (both SPÖ) are vehemently committed to the introduction of separate waiting lists for patients from Vienna and other federal states. This measure is intended to help reduce the increasing pressure on Vienna's hospitals, especially since Vienna treats more than 40 percent of all guest patients in Austria, of which 80 percent come from Lower Austria and 12 percent from Burgenland. The goal: faster treatment times for Viennese patients.

A central problem is the announced budget deficit of 610 million euros that Vienna will have to cope with in 2024. These are additional costs that arise in addition to the financial compensation payments for guest patients. The pressure on the Vienna city government is increasing, especially after the framework conditions for reducing the number of guest patients in hospitals became even stricter this year. According to information that the The standard The Vienna city government decided three years ago to significantly reduce the proportion of guest patients in order to increase the quality of care for Viennese patients.

Waiting times and shortage of skilled workers

The consequences of this policy cannot be overlooked. Waiting times for important operations are increasing in Vienna, increasing patient concerns. One patient had to wait a whole year for brain aneurysm surgery and had appointments postponed several times. This highlights the difficulties the city is currently experiencing due to a shortage of skilled workers in nursing. The city must have a good hand in finding short-term solutions to these needs.

The concerns are not just local. The press reports that similar challenges also occur in other federal states such as Salzburg. As a result, close cooperation between Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland is required in order to find a comprehensive solution. Ludwig therefore proposes an “Eastern Care Region” that could abolish federal state boundaries in inpatient care. Such a model could act not only for the region, but also as a model for the whole of Austria.

Legal challenges and future prospects

However, there are legal concerns: lawyers make it clear that discrimination against patients based on their place of residence is not permitted. This means that the city government must ensure that the implementation of its plans does not run into legal hurdles. At the same time, there are questions about current developments in the health system, as a common financing and organizational approach between the federal states involved could also end the disputes over resources and money.

In conclusion, it can be said that the federalist structure of the Austrian healthcare system makes efficient collaboration difficult. Although the pandemic has shown that closer forms of cooperation are possible, it remains to be seen how the city of Vienna will deal with these challenges. A willingness to reform and a future-oriented approach are required so that patients can benefit from improved health care not only in the east but throughout the country.