In a wheelchair

Styrian woman waited hours to be taken home from hospital

The Red Cross insists that this is an isolated case and "we are very sorry!"(Bild: P. Huber)

An 80-year-old patient in a wheelchair had to wait seven hours for transport home from a hospital in Styria. The Red Cross apologized. But how did this happen?

It is shortly before Christmas: an 80-year-old woman from Graz, who is paralyzed on one side and in a wheelchair, has to spend several days in hospital due to a flu-like infection. When she feels better, she is discharged from the hospital in Graz. At around 1 p.m. on December 17, she is told to be ready. A return transport is arranged. The lady waits patiently in her wheelchair — and waits and waits. According to her husband, she doesn't get home until late in the evening!

Dependent on medical transport
"I spent the whole afternoon on the phone asking when transport would be available. By the evening, my wife and I were both exhausted." The man himself is over 80. "The top floor of our building has no elevator. When my wife is feeling better, she can manage one floor with my help, and I carry the wheelchair up," he says. But after her bout of flu, the woman is weakened, and the couple is dependent on medical transport.

Why wasn't the trip prioritized?
"Something like this should not happen, it's a no-go!" says the Styrian Red Cross when asked. They investigated the case. The waiting time for the elderly woman was seven hours and 17 minutes. "That is actually inexcusable," they say, even though they have of course apologized to the couple personally in the meantime.

In fact, the rescue organization, which completes around 600,000 trips per year, was struggling with staff shortages due to sick leave before Christmas, and the days were busy. Return transports are then put on the back burner. Nevertheless, they are now investigating why this specific trip was not prioritized. "It's an isolated case, but one too many. We are very sorry!" The couple accepted the apology. 

The Red Cross insists that this was an isolated incident and "we are very sorry!"(Bild: P. Huber)