Carinthia invests two million euros in Spittal primary care centre
Wednesday 2nd September 2026 on 21:15 in
Austria
Carinthia is investing two million euros in a new primary care centre in Spittal, ORF reported on Wednesday. The centre is intended to ease pressure on hospital outpatient departments and reduce long waits for medical appointments.
The centre is being built in the Porcia Center, where several medical practices will operate together. It is expected to open in April and will have significantly longer opening hours than conventional practices, including Saturdays.
Carinthia’s health councillor, Beate Prettner of the Social Democratic Party, said the expansion of primary care centres was now being accelerated. The state currently has one operating centre, putting it near the bottom of the comparison with other Austrian provinces.
Prettner said Carinthia was the only province where all publicly funded doctor positions were filled. The new centres therefore represented an additional service rather than a replacement for existing practices, she said.
Carinthia aims to have 15 primary care centres by 2030. At least two will be operated by the Diakonie. One is scheduled to open in Bleiburg in October, while the second is planned for the Porcia Center in Spittal.
Astrid Körner, rector of the Diakonie, said the centre would not simply bring separate practices together under one roof. Instead, doctors and other professional groups would work as one team, allowing benefits such as staff cover and more flexible working hours.
Doctors’ representatives have previously criticised plans for primary care centres, arguing that doctors would bear the financial risk and face a heavy administrative burden. In Spittal, however, medical staff will be employed directly by the operator. The centre is still looking for doctors, nurses and medical assistants.
Gerhard Köfer, head of Team Kärnten and mayor of Spittal, described the centre as a milestone in local health policy. He said its extended opening hours and multiprofessional team would help relieve hospital outpatient departments. Köfer also said he would campaign for a children’s primary care centre in Spittal.