The AUVA trauma center Vienna-Brigittenau therefore concluded that construction and fire safety measures were necessary in the more than 50-year-old building of the former Lorenz Böhler Accident Hospital, which “cannot be implemented during ongoing operations”.
Inpatient services will therefore be provided at Meidling Trauma Center and Vienna General Hospital (AKH) until the end of this year. Initial screening for self-referred patients will be at the Brigitta Outpatient Clinic.
Totally unexpected results
However, based on current information, this result is “completely unexpected,” according to the Medical Association. Even city politics were not involved in the decisions. None of the 17 planned operations had actually been carried out by 11 a.m. Monday, according to Heinz Brenner, representative of the Vienna Special Committee of the Austrian Society for Trauma Surgery.
Shocked hospital staff also held a staff meeting in the morning. “Physicians want to keep working, they want to keep helping people,” Brenner told APA.
Hacker: Conversations with AKH
City Councilor for Health Peter Hacker (SPÖ) tried to clarify the somewhat confusing situation on the sidelines of a press conference on Monday: Before the hospital was closed, discussions were held with the AKH, which offered free operating theaters. AUVA to present. The plan now is for Lawrence Poehler Hospital teams to use these rooms “over-the-top” for their operations — but not to replace their employer. That is why MedUni is not involved, because the employer of doctors at AKH is not affected by the schemes.
Smoke and hackers about closing the Lorenz Böhler hospital
The temporary closure of the accident hospital in Vienna-Brigittena has drawn criticism. Now Vienna's City Councilor for Health Peter Hacker (SPÖ) and Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) have commented on this.
Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) saw “peak contact”. However, his ministry could not have prevented the decision because, as the supervisory authority, it could only check whether it was legal or correct.
Methuni said too late
AKH will now have to take over part of the proceedings, and Markus Grimm, head of the legal department at MedUni Vienna, the sole employer of medical staff at AKH, was informed “a few days ago”. told ABA. It is also worth noting that fire safety issues have been known since 2014 as the hospital is currently closed. AKH obviously has to take over not only the operations, but also parts of the medical staff, which brings a lot of labor law issues.
Legal, methodological and organizational questions and topics on management functions and cooperation are open. Grimm stressed that an orderly procedure would “require months.” It is not yet clear at AKH how to manage the additional functions as it suffers from a severe shortage of nurses. However, the AUVA's conclusions said it “should not deteriorate further”.
However, Hervik Wetzlinger, director of the general hospital, said in a press release that MedUni representatives “have attended and are certainly involved in all relevant discussions.”
The Medical Association has called for a roundtable
Natalja Hanninger-Wakariu, first vice-president of the Vienna Medical Association and head of employed doctors, warned against closing the hospital without clarifying all open questions.
According to the president of the medical association and the vice-president and chairperson of the working doctors of the medical association, a round table chaired by Mayor Ludwig and City Councilor for Health Peter Hacker (SPÖ) should clarify open questions. Until then, the sponsoring organization should refrain from implementing any closure and relocation plans.
AUVA's mismanagement
According to Johannes Steinhardt, president of the Vienna and Austrian Medical Association, a current report on the Lorenz Pöhler Hospital case suggests mismanagement by the AUVA as a sponsor of the hospital: “According to current information, this does not appear to be the case. . According to their own statements, city politicians were also surprised by plans to close the hospital, which is unacceptable. ,” said the president of the medical association.
