Political uproar

Specialist appointments: Styrians have had enough of waiting

Marco Triller (left) wants answers from Johannes Rauch(Bild: Christof Birbaumer, Christian Jauschowetz, Krone KREATIV)

Styrians can face a wait of up to a year if they (urgently) need to see a specialist. This lottery game annoys many - the Styrian FPÖ is now taking the Green Health Minister Johannes Rauch to task 

The trip to the dermatologist, gynaecologist or ophthalmologist is increasingly becoming an odyssey for many Styrians - because it can take several months before a specialist appointment is available.

The "Krone" report on Friday about the long waiting times and a wave of retirements among statutory health insurance doctors is causing a stir - and political repercussions for the Green Health Minister Johannes Rauch. Marco Triller, FPÖ health spokesman, wants answers from him via a parliamentary question on the "health insurance doctor supply situation in Styria". "The worsening shortage of panel doctors has been apparent for years, but has been criminally ignored by the ÖVP, SPÖ and Greens for far too long. The first step now needs to be the rapid development of an overall strategy to fill vacancies in the health insurance system," rants Triller.

Measles, whooping cough: health insurance fund should pay for tests 
Meanwhile, the Styrian Medical Association is also taking the ÖGK to task - and in another area too. In future, the health insurance fund is to cover the costs of tests that allow dangerous infectious diseases to be detected at an early stage. At present, patients have to dig deep into their own pockets for rapid tests for influenza, measles or whooping cough, for example.