End of private ordis?

Vienna Medical Association outraged by Hacker’s initiative

As expected, the announcement in the "Krone" newspaper that Vienna's City Councillor for Health, Peter Hacker (SPÖ), is banning Vienna's hospital doctors from practicing medicine has met with fierce criticism from the Medical Association: its President Johannes Steinhart sees "pure show politics on the backs of the Viennese".

"An enforced restriction of professional freedom will drive even more doctors away from hospitals forever", Steinhart is quoted as saying in a press release on Saturday. Hacker wants to end the practice of doctors working only a few hours in public hospitals and the rest in private practice at the turn of the year.

"We are currently negotiating with the staff representatives as part of the second staff package. I have nothing against elective doctors. But anyone who works part-time in the public healthcare system is committed to this system," said Hacker in the "Krone" newspaper. "So you can work 20 hours in a hospital and 20 hours in a primary care center. But ten hours in a public hospital and the rest in a private practice, that will no longer be the case in future."

I have nothing against elective doctors. But anyone who works part-time in the public healthcare system is committed to this system.

SPÖ-Gesundheitsstadtrat Peter Hacker

(Bild: Zwefo)

For the Vienna Medical Association, the announcement that hospital doctors will be banned from working part-time as elective doctors in future is "incomprehensible and completely unacceptable", as stated in the press release. "Threatening with anti-employee bans during the election campaign is also contrary to any principles of an employee-friendly policy."

"Patients will be the ones to suffer"
 Steinhart, who is President of the Austrian and Vienna Medical Chambers, pointed out that such an "enforced restriction of professional freedom" would lead to many doctors giving up their jobs in hospitals. "This will massively exacerbate the situation in our healthcare facilities and patients will once again be the ones to suffer."

The Medical Association appealed to Hacker to enter into talks quickly. "Rethink your hasty and ill-considered approach, Mr. City Councillor," Steinhart demanded. What is needed instead are "ways and concepts that secure our solidary healthcare system in the long term and improve the working conditions of doctors", and the Medical Association is "ready for rapid negotiations with constructive proposals".

FPÖ speaks of "populist measure"
 Criticism also comes from the Vienna FPÖ: "Banning doctors from practising is not only a populist measure, but also a massive threat to healthcare in Vienna," said the Blue Party's health spokesperson Wolfgang Seidl in a press release. "It is frightening that Hacker apparently does not understand the consequences of his decisions."

Trade union younion "surprised"
The union representatives of the employees in the Vienna Healthcare Association were surprised by Hacker's move. There had not yet been any negotiations on this, emphasized younion chairman Christian Meidlinger and Edgar Martin, chairman of "Team Gesundheit" (main group II) in younion, in a press release. "This will only be discussed in the summer, according to the timetable for the negotiations on the second personnel package."