"Privilege" at the AKH

Marterbauer Kept His Cancer a Secret for a Long Time

Markus Marterbauer at the Vienna Konzerthaus with ORF reporter Lisa Gadenstätter(Bild: Screenshot/ORF)

In an interview with ORF, SPÖ Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer talks about his cancer diagnosis, the “privilege” he availed himself of at Vienna General Hospital (AKH), and how the disease has changed him. 

On July 13, Markus Marterbauer publicly announced that he had been diagnosed with lymph node cancer. “Well over 400,000 people in Austria are living with a cancer diagnosis. As of recently, I am one of them,” said the finance minister. For many people in Austria, the news came out of the blue; even most members of the government had no idea. On June 10—three days before the announcement—Marterbauer had delivered his budget speech in the National Council and did not appear unwell in the slightest.

“My diagnosis is lymphoma—a disease that, thanks to extensive research and Austria’s excellent healthcare system, has very good chances of recovery in recent years,” the 61-year-old added to his statement. It was important, he said, that he begin “appropriate treatment immediately.” He would start receiving treatment at Vienna General Hospital (AKH) as early as Monday. And that is exactly what happened.

The Cap Became a Trademark: Markus Marterbauer(Bild: AP/Marius Burgelman)

Marterbauer was open about his illness. He now wore a cap, which became his trademark. He owns two of them, he said in an interview with the “Krone.” “My wife picked them out, and I like them. I always thought my trademark was the red tie. Now I already have two.” Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler has since advised him to continue wearing the cap even after his illness.

Over the past four months, Marterbauer underwent chemotherapy, with a positive outcome. His only privilege as a politician: He was given his own room at the AKH during his treatments because he “continued to carry out his daily duties on the side,” the finance minister said on the ORF program “Dok 1.”

The program will air on Wednesday at 8:15 p.m. on ORF eins and features interviews with several politicians who have been ill, including Hans Peter Doskozil (SPÖ) and Norbert Hofer (FPÖ).

In his conversation with Lisa Gadenstätter, Marterbauer also reveals that he had already learned of his illness in early summer. He had already been conducting the arduous negotiations on the dual budget while already diagnosed with cancer. “At first, only my wife knew about it,” he says; he informed his family and office later. Everyone on his team kept it under wraps. The finance minister didn’t inform the chancellor and the federal president until the very day he went public with the news.

“You get less caught up in political games”
The illness has made him “more serene,” says the 61-year-old. “From a personal perspective, there has definitely been a change, because you realize that some things are simply unnecessary.” The result: “You get less caught up in political games.”