Court rejects Gmünd’s lawsuit over hospital closure

A court has rejected the municipality of Gmünd’s lawsuit against the province over plans to replace its hospital with a health clinic, ORF reported. The Krems Regional Court said the claim concerned public law, not civil law, and therefore could not be heard in that court.

Gmünd brought the case to enforce a guarantee in a 2004 transfer agreement that the hospital would remain at its current location. The ruling is not final. The court said the decision was issued on Monday and delivered on Tuesday, and can be appealed within 14 days.

The lawsuit was filed on September 4. In a referendum on June 28, about 92 per cent of voters in the Waldviertel district town backed taking legal action. The municipal council then unanimously agreed to proceed.

Under the province’s Health Plan 2040+, the existing hospital is to be replaced by a health clinic. The hospital is expected to remain open at its current location until the new facility begins operating, with completion planned for 2028. The clinic is to provide round-the-clock emergency and first-response care, an outpatient surgery centre, an emergency doctor base and a helicopter landing pad. Plans also include a centre focused on care for people with chronic illnesses, specialist practices, a primary care centre and a radiology centre.

The plans would end inpatient hospital beds and have drawn criticism in recent months. The LKGmündbleibt association and the NÖ #NeuverhandlungGesundheitsplan2040+ initiative have raised concerns about the security of medical care.