Three states agree on emergency physician base in Weyer

Upper Austria, Lower Austria and Styria have agreed to establish a jointly funded emergency physician base in Weyer, ORF’s Upper Austria news service reported. The base is intended to strengthen emergency care in the Eisenwurzen region, with the Upper Austrian Red Cross set to operate it.

An emergency response vehicle based in Waidhofen an der Ybbs had also served communities in Upper Austria and Styria. Changes to Lower Austria’s emergency physician system prompted the search for a new arrangement for cross-border care.

Upper Austrian Deputy Governor and Health Councillor Christine Haberlander said the project would provide additional security for people in the region. Lower Austrian Finance and Hospitals Councillor Anton Kasser called the cooperation an important step, while Health Councillor Eva Prischl said patients need rapid medical assistance regardless of state borders.

Styria’s Health Councillor Karlheinz Kornhäusl said the Weyer base would complement existing services in the Styrian Eisenwurzen, including cooperation with ambulance and emergency medical staff, rescue helicopters and regional doctors.

The three states will now work out contractual arrangements covering the base’s funding and operation. Its opening date and the number of emergency physicians planned for the base have not yet been decided.