Salzburg clinic to take more patients from other states

The Christian Doppler Clinic in Salzburg will treat more patients from other Austrian states as regional hospitals face capacity shortages, ORF reports. The clinic has invested 2.3 million euros in a new computed tomography scanner.

The photon-counting CT, or PCCT, is the first scanner of its kind installed in a neuroradiology department in Austria. Its semiconductor detectors produce more precise images, said Johannes Pfaff, head of the University Institute for Neurosurgery.

Scans will be only slightly faster, but the new technology is expected to reduce patients’ radiation exposure by 30 to 50 per cent and require much less contrast agent, Pfaff said.

The clinic already treats many patients from Upper Austria, where similar neurosurgical and neuroradiological services are often unavailable, as well as people from the Liezen district in Styria. As an interregional centre, it plays an important role in treating strokes, complex conditions, and injuries to the brain and spine.

Carinthia has also asked Salzburg for support. Salzburg health councillor Daniela Gutschi said she would speak with her Carinthian counterpart on Friday about whether a bilateral agreement, like the one with Styria, could allow Salzburg to treat patients from Carinthia. The new scanner is expected to further strengthen the clinic’s specialist care.