Innsbruck backs three new primary care centres

Innsbruck has welcomed the call for three new primary care centres in the city, ORF Tirol reported on Friday. Centres are planned for the districts of Amras, Wilten and Dreiheiligen.

The Austrian Medical Chamber has criticised the plans, warning that the centres could compete with doctors in private practice.

The city said the centres would be an important step in sustainably developing healthcare provision. It described primary care centres as a future-oriented model focused on patients, attractive working conditions and the efficient use of existing resources.

The city also sees opportunities for the health park currently under construction at Sillpark and for Veldidenapark Neu, a health and care location still being developed. Both locations are intended to offer a broad range of services for Innsbruck residents.

At Veldidenapark Neu, close integration with a primary care centre could also provide urgently needed qualified aftercare and transitional care for Innsbruck and the surrounding Innsbruck-Land district.

The city said it took the Medical Chamber’s concerns seriously. At the same time, demographic trends, existing patient flows and current healthcare planning indicated a growing need for interprofessional forms of care. The key, it said, was to integrate new services sensibly into the existing healthcare system and connect the different structures as effectively as possible.

Innsbruck said it would support the further development of the three primary care centres constructively and work to link the new services with existing healthcare and care structures.

Mayor Johannes Anzengruber of the JA Jetzt Innsbruck party said evaluations by Gesundheit Österreich in other federal states highlighted the potential of the model. “We must set the course for tomorrow today and respond to social and demographic changes,” he said.

Care coordinator Michael Urschitz also referred to evaluations by Gesundheit Österreich, which showed high satisfaction in Vienna, Lower Austria and Styria, particularly with longer opening hours and a broader range of services.

Deputy Mayor Georg Willi of the Greens highlighted the planned transitional care. Veldidenapark Neu offered significant potential in this area, he said. “Healthcare and care can work together at one location and thereby create added value for the entire care region of Innsbruck and Innsbruck-Land.”