Parties criticize review of Lower Austria emergency doctor reform

Political parties have criticized a new review of Lower Austria’s emergency doctor service, while rescue organizations still expect the revised system to start on April 1, 2027, ORF reports. State councillor Eva Prischl of the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) announced that the service would be examined externally.

Health spokespeople Franz Dinhobl of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) and Richard Punz of the Freedom Party (FPÖ) said the state’s Health Plan 2040+ had been approved by a broad majority in the state parliament last year, with SPÖ support. They said rescue organizations had also indicated that the planned change was necessary and would bring improvements. The two accused Prischl of delaying implementation for more than 10 months and putting the security of emergency care at risk.

Dinhobl and Punz said they welcomed an expert report if it was needed, but insisted that emergency services must operate without gaps and that responsibility lay with Prischl. The liberal NEOS party also took note of the review and called for full transparency. Its health spokesperson, Edith Kollermann, said the examination had come late and called on Prischl to disclose its scope and findings.

After a round-table meeting on Friday, the presidents of the Red Cross and the Workers’ Samaritan Federation (ASBÖ) in Lower Austria, Hans Ebner and Hannes Sauer, said their organizations remained ready to launch the new emergency system on April 1, 2027. Ebner said they had already begun a major training programme and felt bound by their contracts. Sauer said the new report, intended to provide legal certainty, was separate from their preparations and training.

Both representatives said they were surprised by the announcement. The organizations have not yet been told which irreversible measures they should pause; they expect instructions in writing. Sauer said he saw the review as an effort to establish legal certainty and have the system assessed by independent experts.