State Disagrees with Federal Government

“Fake News”: Confusion Surrounding Oberwart Heart Surgery

The dispute over the Oberwart cardiac surgery program—a flagship project of Hans Peter Doskozil—between the state of Burgenland and the federal government shows no signs of ending(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Christian Schulter, LMS/Stefan Wiesinger)

In March, the Oberwart Heart Surgery Center opened its doors without prior consultation with the federal government or the social insurance agency. A dispute ensued between the federal and state SPÖ. Now, the so-called Federal Target Steering Commission has rejected the project. Or has it? Burgenland wants nothing to do with it, even calling it “fake news.”

An additional cardiac surgery facility would constitute “a significant change to the supraregional healthcare planning,” the committee—comprising representatives from the federal government, the states, and the social insurance agency—stated in explaining its rejection of the prestigious Burgenland project. And this, without there being a corresponding additional need. The ministry continues to call for a coordinated approach among all parties involved.

Until now, Burgenland had implemented the cardiac surgery program without federal funding and therefore argued that approval was not necessary. Whether funds from the federal government and social insurance will flow despite everything will likely be decided in court.

The state of Burgenland expressed surprise at the press release announcing the rejection: According to the office of Governor Hans Peter Doskozil, the commission had issued neither approval nor rejection and had not reached a decision. “Since unanimity is required in the BZK, the vote did not result in a resolution. Contrary to what the responsible ministry has claimed, cardiac surgery has therefore not been rejected,” said Provincial Councilor Leonhard Schneemann in a press release. The department will continue to be operated and funded by the province.

And indeed: Shortly thereafter, the ministry backtracked—slightly: “The proposal was not formally rejected because the required unanimity was not achieved.” However, the necessary approval for the proposal was also not granted.

Why the rejection?
The Austrian Health Structure Plan (ÖSG) sets the following quality criteria for cardiac surgery: a catchment area of at least 800,000 residents, at least 500 procedures per year, and accessibility within two hours. According to the Ministry of Health, Oberwart falls well short of these criteria, with a catchment area of 377,000 people and 306 surgeries per year.

Meanwhile, representatives of the Burgenland medical community appealed in an open letter to Health Minister Korinna Schumann (SPÖ) to support the expansion of cardiac surgery at the Oberwart Clinic. This would close a critical gap in care, as patients in Burgenland have had to wait an average of six to nine months for heart surgery for years.