Allegations against primary care physician

Credit card provides patients with top service

For a fee, Primarius promises patients all-round care (symbolic image).(Bild: Christof Birbaumer)

A doctor is said to offer all-in treatment contracts for 3000 euros: Surgery is then carried out at the St. Pölten hospital, but at provincial expense! "We are taking the allegations seriously," says the provincial health agency.

The image of seamless healthcare in the provincial hospitals has been shaken since the case of a mother of two. The Waldviertel woman only survived because a Viennese vascular surgeon carried out an emergency operation in his spare time, and since then there has been an uproar about the possible gap in care.

Rejected despite danger to life
As reported, the patient admitted to Horn was turned away at the hospitals in Baden, Mödling, Wiener Neustadt and St. Pölten - despite her life being in acute danger. Insiders put their fingers in the wound: the Provincial Health Agency (LGA) was not in a position to ensure 24/7 care for the population in this medical sector.

Woman was turned away from St. Pölten hospital despite acute danger to her life. This is causing criticism from the medical profession.(Bild: Universitätsklinikum St. Pölten)

"Rare individual cases"
"There are several trained vascular surgeons at each of the locations mentioned, who have the necessary qualifications and also treat emergencies. This ensures prompt care," LGA board member Elisabeth Bräutigam tries to rebut. Irrespective of this, however, "in rare individual cases" it may not be possible to provide acute care in the region.

All-in-OP contracts
In light of the latest incident, the legal all-in surgery contracts of a primary surgeon at St. Pölten University Hospital, which guarantee round-the-clock care - albeit for a fee of several thousand euros - are causing a shake of the head - also in medical circles. For this "special class", the doctor uses the infrastructure of his department free of charge. "We take such accusations very seriously," assures Bräutigam. Shorter waiting times for private patients cannot be proven.