New rescue law

Comprehensive care is now coming to the province

Governor Doskozil wants to counteract the current trend of many patients visiting hospital outpatient clinics by increasing the number of ambulances.(Bild: LMS)

The extensively revised Burgenland Rescue Act comes into force on Monday. This is intended to ensure the high quality of patient care in the future.

According to the law, a distinction will be made in future between the general and special rescue services. In order to keep resources available and further improve emergency care, rescue service locations will from now on be determined by the province by decree.

Half of the contribution paid
The distribution of costs is also changing. Whereas previously the rescue contribution for the local rescue service was paid by the municipalities and the rescue contribution for the supra-local rescue service was paid in full by the state, the entire rescue contribution will now be paid equally by the state and municipalities.

Some innovations
As of this year, it has been increased from 13.51 euros per inhabitant to 24.42 euros per inhabitant, which enables additional services to be provided. For example, the base in Rudersdorf has been expanded to 24-hour operation, two new deployment points have been created in Großpetersdorf and Zurndorf and ten additional deployment teams have been positioned. A total of 60 teams will be deployed from 17 locations.

115,000 rescue missions

... were carried out in Burgenland in 2023. The number has recently been rising year on year. The costs for rescue services and patient transport amount to 14.4 million euros per year. 7.2 million each are borne by the state and municipalities.

"Groundbreaking structural reform"
The new rescue law was drawn up by the state with the involvement of the rescue organizations and municipal representative organizations. Elisabeth Böhm, Chairwoman of the Association of Cities and Towns, and the Presidents of the Association of Municipal Representatives and the Association of Municipalities, Erich Trummer and Leo Radakovits, are visibly satisfied: "We have created a pioneering structural reform that we can be proud of." Thomas Wallner, Managing Director of the Red Cross, agrees: "Thanks to the cooperation, quality and quantity are achievable."

For Gerald Fitz, head of the Samaritans, the Burgenland model is an exemplary model: "We are already being asked in other federal states how we can create such an efficient system. In emergency care, it is a quantum leap that the emergency paramedic sits in the back of the ambulance with the patient."