Postponement Confirmed

“Big Bang Scenario”: Vienna Puts the Parent-Child Pass on Hold

The Digi-EKP is to be thoroughly tested before its introduction.(Bild: georgerudy - stock.adobe.com)

The electronic parent-child health record was actually supposed to launch across Austria on October 1. Actually! Now it’s official: It won’t be available until a year later. If you look closely, you’ll quickly see who’s responsible. Vienna had second thoughts—and isn’t mincing words about it.

SPÖ State Secretary Ulrike Königsberger-Ludwig had some strong words to say: “Digitization is key if we want to bring our healthcare system into the future. Austria has a lot of catching up to do in this area. That’s why we can’t afford any delays.” Shortly afterward, she announced exactly that: a delay of a full year. “But we also can’t afford to jeopardize trust in such an important project because it doesn’t work reliably in practice,” she added.

Without a test run, complications during the rollout could have had medical consequences for mothers and children. This contradicts professional standards.

Peter Hacker, Gesundheitsstadtrat Wien

Bild: Mario Urbantschitsch

The clear warning from Vienna City Hall
What’s missing from the official press release: As early as the weekend, the Medical Association spoke of an “intervention by the City of Vienna.” The “Krone” confronted City Councilor for Health Peter Hacker with the accusation—and received a clear answer. The federal government wanted to introduce the pass “in its entirety without a prior trial phase.” Hacker’s assessment: “Sticking to a ‘big-bang scenario’ without sufficient testing phases also contradicts professional standards.”

Medical and financial consequences for parents and children
According to Hacker, the consequences of a false start would have primarily affected—both medically and financially—those who cannot defend themselves: “The risk of failure is borne primarily by mothers and children.” Technical errors would not have been detectable during routine operation until sometime in 2027—and could not have been corrected until after that. 

That is why Vienna and other federal states insisted on a phased introduction “in selected pilot maternity wards” lasting at least half a year. “Vienna proposed this resolution in the Federal Target Steering Commission, and it was supported by the states,” said Hacker.

The only point on which everyone agrees isthe “
 ” Of course, no one has any objection to the digital passport itself—all federal states support its introduction. Just not at the expense of safety.