Healthcare

Sale of Vamed: “No profits from care”

Care sector: Doskozil once again pleads for non-profit status.(Bild: Tschepp Markus)

Governor Hans Peter Doskozil (SPÖ) wants to continue to prevent the sale of Vamed. He is calling for the social insurance institutions to terminate the daily rates.

As reported, the Vamed rehabilitation clinics are to be sold to the French private equity company PAI. Doskozil continues to campaign against this. In order to stop the sale, the head of the province is now calling for the termination of the daily rates by the social insurance institutions: "It is unacceptable that public funds flow into profit-oriented companies in order to serve corporate profits."

Reclaiming centers
According to Doskozil, if the contracts are terminated, the properties and therefore also the operation of the rehabilitation centers should be reclaimed. Another option would be a three-year notice period. "During this time, the federal states could help out and ensure the provision of care," said the governor.

Taxpayers' money must not be used to finance the profits of large international corporations while, on the other hand, there is a lack of funds in the healthcare sector.

LH Hans Peter Doskozil

In general, Doskozil once again pleaded for non-profit status in the healthcare sector. This had already been implemented in Burgenland. The federal government must now exert pressure on the social insurance providers and Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) must actively seek a solution.

"No counterpart"
Vamed works council member Harald Steer also warned against profit maximization and pressure to save money in the rehabilitation center sector. The sale to an international group would make it more difficult for employees and the works council to voice their concerns: "We would no longer have a counterpart."