Emergency here, not there

Vienna hospital treated woman from Lower Austria much better

A woman from the Waldviertel region received far better treatment in Vienna—despite the controversy over non-resident patients—than she did in St. Pölten. This has caused discontent.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Thomas Werth, upixa - stock.adobe.com)

“Why did you even come to St. Pölten?” a retired nurse from the Waldviertel region was asked. As an emergency patient, she received much better treatment in Vienna.

The 69-year-old woman from the Waldviertel region received excellent care at the Horn Clinic after a fall, where she was admitted as an inpatient with a brain hemorrhage. She was discharged after about ten days. Because she had a long journey ahead of her and her health was deteriorating, the former nurse went to her family doctor, who sent her for an MRI.

The brain hemorrhage had already worsened significantly compared to previous diagnoses. “But since Horn doesn’t have a neurosurgery department, I drove straight to St. Pölten,” explains the woman, who, in an era of centralization and consolidation of hospital locations in Lower Austria, had a rude awakening at the University Hospital with her husband: Treated unkindly, she had to justify why she had traveled all the way from the Waldviertel in the first place. 

Sent back and forth between outpatient clinics
After explaining that St. Pölten was better equipped and more qualified to treat her condition with its neurosurgery department, the former nurse was met with, “Nobody here cares what you want. The doctor will explain that to you,” from the ward secretary. This was because the woman had persistently insisted on seeing a specialist.

Then a doctor looked at the images with a sarcastic tone: “What’s so urgent that you had to come here with the sirens blaring?” And later, without empathy: “Either we operate immediately, or you go home for observation.” The woman felt more than uncomfortable about being operated on by this doctor.

After six hours, the woman returned home exhausted, only to travel to Vienna the next day—at the urgent urging of a friend—to the Landstraße Clinic (formerly the Rudolfsstiftung). There, unlike in St. Pölten and despite the controversy over non-resident patients, she was professionally admitted, examined, and prepared for surgery the following day, which was highly urgent to avoid the risk of long-term damage. “I’m from Lower Austria. But that didn’t matter when it came to the quick, highly competent intervention by the Vienna healthcare staff,” she says, expressing both deep gratitude and frustration toward the St. Pölten University Hospital.

We take this feedback seriously and will investigate the incident internally.

St. Pöltens Neurochirurgie-Chef Christian Dorfer

Did the woman from the Waldviertel region not receive priority in St. Pölten?
The State Health Agency (LGA) states that they “operate according to clear medical priorities.” Therefore, it is important to contact the emergency number 144 or the health hotline 1450 beforehand. “This ensures the right treatment at the right place.” At the University Hospital St. Pölten, there was reportedly no “acute neurological need for intervention.” The decision on whether to perform surgery is made on a case-by-case basis for each patient.

“Treatment Based on Medical Urgency”
“Conditions can change dynamically, so that different measures are necessary at different times,” explains Christian Dorfer, head of neurosurgery at St. Pölten. However, clear deteriorations in the patient’s condition were evident from the findings. And in Vienna, the case was indeed an emergency 24 hours later. The University Hospital: “We take this feedback seriously and will review the incident internally. All patients are treated based on medical urgency, regardless of their place of residence or regional origin.”