GR Lukas Brucker, MA (FPÖ) said 700 million euros in minimum security were paid out annually to non-Austrians and non-Austrians, so they were the “core problem of this invoice”. Brucker saw an “expensive and unfair” system. He illustrated this with media reports of two large families, an Austrian and one with a migration background: “unwilling to work and integration” would get more to “do nothing” than working Austrians, said Brucker. This “social assistance that is paid out for doing nothing” are a “magnet” for asylum seekers who would move from the federal states to Vienna. Brucker called for fairness for those who make their contribution as well as for pensioners. Brucker also saw “dilapidated” conditions in the health system. Waiting times of up to one year for an almond surgery are “mismanagement” for which the SPÖ is responsible. The Wiener Weg is “not a social one”, but a wrong way on the back of the workers. Poverty should not be “wandered”.
GR Christian Deutsch (SPÖ) said in a city like Vienna there are “of course problems”, but they want to take up and solve the government. The FPÖ continues to “riding” on the subject of minimum security, knowing that a nationwide solution is being sought. The Vienna city government is committed to a strong health and social area, in total around 11 billion would be available for this area. The annual financial statements of the Vienna Health Association show what a health system for people in the city is doing every day. The year 2024 was one year of “great achievements” in the health network. Work on the topic of operating rooms is continuously, the surgical hours rose by 13 percent in 2021 to 24. German also mentioned the functioning acute care, 40 percent of the operations would take place in this area within two days. German also saw a “clear improvement” compared to the previous year when it comes to recruiting and a shortage of skilled workers. While many countries and cities have privatized health, Vienna remains a role model for health care in public hands.
Strin Dr. Katarzyna Greco, Miem (ÖVP) spoke on the topics of prevention and sport. “Sport is exactly what we need for a long, healthy life,” says Greco. In the government program, Greco saw “relatively little” in the field of sport. She misses investments and a well thought -out overall concept for sport in Vienna. Greco criticized that some sports would be promoted exuberantly, while there were hardly any funds for others. She criticized the condition of some sports facilities, here the athletes deserved better. She called for “even more opportunities for Vienna to become a healthy city”.
GR Theodor Felix Löcker (Greens) also spoke about the city’s sports policy. Sport offer places of cooperation and prevent health problems. Löcker described the corresponding passages in the government agreement of the coalition as “little concrete”. In Vienna, all Viennese, regardless of their age or income layer, should have access to inclusive sports offers.
GR Harald Stark (FPÖ) saw a “large cost driver” in the budget in the healthcare sector. He criticized the planning for personnel costs that inflation was already foreseeable, for him this type of planning was “incomprehensible”. Missed progress, every movement forwards would be destroyed due to high additional costs, for example at the Floridsdorf Clinic or currently at the AKH. Stark also saw no upswing for the next five years.
Grin Mag. Stefanie Vasold (SPÖ) took a look at the area of inclusion in her speech. The framework conditions of recent years are a challenge for the social area. 3 billion euros of the urban budget would flow into the large range of services in the social sector. Vasold commented on the achievements of the social funds in Vienna, the umbrella organization in Vienna Social Institutions and social department MA 40. Among other things, the MA 40 handled the support measures against the inflation or payment of the minimum security. Vasold criticized the idea of a “social hammock” that the city’s social policy is about protection, qualification and social work support. (Continued) Gaa