More in the pipeline

“These centers relieve the burden on hospital staff”

Surgical materials will also be processed by the two logistics centers of the Lower Austrian Provincial Health Agency and sent back to the province's hospitals.(Bild: LGA/Imre Antal)

From the preparation of "surgical instruments" to the delivery of soap or toilet paper: the two logistics centers of the Lower Austrian Health Agency currently supply 15 hospital locations and would thus play a pioneering role throughout Europe. This is why a further center is being planned for the Waldviertel and Weinviertel regions. Nursing homes are also already being integrated to some extent.

The logistics centers of the Provincial Health Agency (LGA) in Wiener Neustadt and St. Pölten are celebrating their tenth anniversary. At these centers, 140 employees ensure that 15 hospital locations and now also the first nursing homes in the state are supplied with everything they need.

Everything from a single source
The special feature is not just the more than 5,000 different items that are procured and delivered from there. In addition to medicines, soap and toilet paper, surgical tools are also cleaned and sterilized there within five hours. They are sent back to the hospitals at short intervals. But not blades, which are disposable products and are disposed of directly by the hospitals.

Protects the environment and employees
"We make sure that all stores are full again overnight," says St. Pölten boldly. This is because the system, which enables compact delivery using fewer containers, is not only more environmentally friendly than having tens of suppliers touring the Lower Austrian hospitals: The bundled delivery takes a lot of pressure off healthcare staff because they don't have to deal with individual deliveries throughout the day, say Head of Logistics Jacqueline Kreismayr and University Hospital Director Bernhard Kadlec.

With a third logistics center, we also want to supply the Waldviertel and Weinviertel regions centrally with medical products and thus take on and expand a pioneering role throughout Europe.

Landesrat Ludwig Schleritzko

Waldviertel and Weinviertel are still "self-sufficient"
The system works excellently and is exemplary throughout Europe. This is why the plans are now to be rolled out to the Waldviertel and Weinviertel regions, which are still "self-sufficient", explains Provincial Councillor Ludwig Schleritzko.

The Waldviertel locations of Krems, Zwettl, Gmünd, Waidhofen an der Thaya, Allentsteig and Horn still have to take care of their own logistics, just as Tulln, Korneuburg, Mistelbach, Stockerau, the Gänserndorf Medical Center and, to some extent, the Hollabrunn Regional Clinic still do in the Weinviertel region.

The Lower Austrian Regional Health Agency (LGA) logistics centers play a "pioneering role throughout Europe". All materials and medicines required by hospitals are stored and processed there. At the site inspection in St. Pölten, Provincial Councillor Ludwig Schleritzko, Head of Logistics Jacqueline Kreismayr and the Commercial Director of St. Pölten University Hospital, Bernhard Kadlec, were in agreement.(Bild: LGA/Imre Antal)

Everything from a single source: from valuable medicines to toilet paper, the containers for the hospitals are packed in the two logistics centers in Lower Austria.(Bild: Imre Antal)

New logistics center is on schedule
A rough concept for the third logistics center has been in place since the summer or autumn of 2023. Since then, the details have been worked out in a pre-project phase, which will be available in the form of a basis for decision-making by the summer. "A basis for decision-making should be available by the summer. In the best-case scenario, the location could also be decided by then," the Provincial Councillor added.