Own professorship

Help for the seriously ill: Tyrol breaks new ground

Even if no cure is possible, medicine can do a lot for the seriously ill.(Bild: Peter Tomschi)

Palliative medicine is dedicated to terminally ill and dying people. They need different care to that provided by curative medicine with the aim of curing them. In order to improve care and medical training, the state of Tyrol is funding an endowed professorship at the Medical University. 

There are currently 33 palliative care beds for adults and two for children in hospitals in Tyrol. According to the health structure plan, there should be 39. The responsible state councillor Cornelia Hagele (ÖVP) believes that the state is nevertheless well positioned and lists other services such as the hospice house in Hall, eight mobile palliative teams and 23 voluntary hospice groups throughout Tyrol.

We are well positioned when it comes to palliative care. However, more and more people are getting older and clinical pictures are becoming more complex. This makes new concepts all the more important.

Cornelia Hagele, Gesundheitslandesrätin

Provincial councillor expects a lot from the new professorship
The state government wants to further expand the range of services on offer and is now taking the next step. 700,000 euros (until 2030) will be invested in an endowed professorship for palliative medicine at the Medical University of Innsbruck. What does LR Hagele expect from this? "The development of new care concepts for the best possible care of those affected and innovative research and teaching," argues the Provincial Councillor.

The endowed professorship for palliative medicine and a possible bed-managing unit will create a university institution that will set new standards.

Wolfgang Fleischhacker, Rektor Med-Uni Innsbruck

Bild: Christof Birbaumer

Donors help the universities
With a professorship, universities can conduct more intensive research on certain topics and have more capacity for teaching. However, this costs a lot of money. Where universities lack this money, so-called donors can step in - in this case the state of Tyrol. It is already funding a professorship for general medicine at the Medical University.

"Palliative medicine is a central and interdisciplinary discipline that needs to be further strengthened in teaching and research," emphasizes Rector Wolfgang Fleischhacker, pointing to the increasing demand. The professorship should not only enable more research, but also a dedicated palliative care ward where doctors can be trained.