Satisfaction with Austria’s health system hits historic low

Satisfaction with Austria’s health system has fallen to a historic low, with just over half of the population now satisfied, down from 76 percent before the years of coronavirus policies, according to a survey reported by ORF.

The findings were presented at the Austrian Health Forum, a health conference in Bad Hofgastein in the Pongau region. Patients said they want better access to specialist doctors, shorter waits and faster surgery appointments. Many would accept travelling farther to get care.

Christoph Hörhan, a member of the forum’s organising team, said people had been calling with frustration and impatience. He cited waiting times, unused funding and rising cost pressures as major concerns.

Long waits at hospitals are a particular problem. Patients could also be treated in other Austrian states, but funding arrangements often make it difficult to use available capacity. Rules for billing treatment of patients from other states are frequently lacking.

Matthias Vavrovsky, president of the Salzburg Medical Association, said transparent waiting lists and a consistent approach to allocating resources across the states could help reduce delays.

Hospitals are also expected to become more efficient. The University Hospital Salzburg plans to expand its day-treatment services next year with a new building, Haus L. More patients would be able to return home on the same day, saving inpatient beds and costs. Some hospital treatments, including chemotherapy, are also expected to be offered more often at home.

Reforms also aim to expand care outside hospitals. Austria plans to establish 300 primary care centres and 75 specialist centres, according to Andreas Huss, head of the Austrian Health Insurance Fund. The centres could bring several medical specialties together under one roof and offer longer opening hours.

The centres are intended in part to attract more young doctors to rural areas, where fewer want to run a practice alone. Patients may have to travel farther, but could face shorter waits and receive better care, Huss said.

However, many of the planned changes will take years to reach patients, and some may take decades to implement.