New surgical robot

“Da Vinci” celebrates its Austrian debut in Oberwart

Gottfried Pfleger, Head of Urology at the Oberwart Clinic, will perform the first robot-assisted procedure using the "da Vinci Single-Port Surgical System".(Bild: Carina Fenz)

Governor Doskozil pushes ahead with Burgenland's offensive strategy in the healthcare sector. The next steps at a glance. And: What the timetable for the realization of the Long Covid outpatient clinic looks like. 

"If other federal states reject our patients, then we have to make sure all the more that adequate medical care is guaranteed in our own state," says Governor Hans Peter Doskozil and is setting the pace with the Burgenland health offensive.

Burgenland as a pioneer
The breastfeeding outpatient clinic was only recently launched at the Oberwart Clinic. An Austria-wide premiere will take place there in mid-March: The new "Da Vinci" surgical robot will be used for the first time. The predecessor model has been in use since 2022. The new innovative system represents a huge increase in performance and is, so to speak, an upgrade in robot-assisted surgery.

"Da Vinci" will be used immediately for minimally invasive procedures in gynecology, surgery, ENT and urology. "This is the very first device of its kind in Austria. We have every right to be proud of this," says Franz Öller, Managing Director of Gesundheit Burgenland. The next milestone will follow at the beginning of April with the start of neurosurgery.

Expansion of the new outpatient eye clinic
Progress is also being made at the Oberpullendorf Clinic, where the renal outpatient clinic has been in operation since mid-January: the new family rooms will be completed in the next few days. In addition, the expansion of the new outpatient eye clinic into a full department is to be finalized this year.

The bariatric outpatient clinic at the Güssing Clinic will be launched in March. Bariatrics deals with the causes, prevention and treatment of obesity. The first operations on the stomach and intestines to initiate weight loss will then take place in April.

We want healthcare that remains competitive in the long term. That is why we are consistently implementing one measure after another.

Burgenlands Landeshauptmann Hans Peter Doskozil gibt Gas

Until now, patients with long Covid or post Covid have been treated in Burgenland as part of regular regional healthcare.(Bild: lea_aring/www.mecfs.de)

First steps towards a long Covid outpatient clinic 
The bed wing at Klinik Kittsee is being adapted and the outdated six-bed rooms are being replaced with modern patient rooms including bathrooms. Work will also begin on establishing the specialist area of orthopaedics and traumatology and building two operating theatres.

And when will the announced ME/CFS outpatient clinic for patients with long Covid and chronic fatigue syndrome be planned and realized? "The first step is to clarify the location. Specifically, possibilities in Bad Tatzmannsdorf would be examined because potential properties are available here," said Doskozil.