In the new ORF correspondent magazine, Cornelia Vospernik, Josef Manola and Gerhard Janser report from Italy, Spain and Switzerland
Vienna (OTS) – Doctors on the verge of being overwhelmed, nursing staff on the verge of burnout, patients who often wait months for operations – this has become an Austrian reality. The health care emergency has been discussed for years, but too little is being done about it. A look at neighboring countries shows that Europe obviously has a common patient: the state healthcare system.
For the new ORF correspondent magazine “WeltWeit” on the topic “Get well soon!” Where is the health system sick?” Cornelia Vospernik, Josef Manola and Gerhard Janser will be on ORF 2 in Italy, Spain and Switzerland on Friday, January 26th, 2024 at 9:20 p.m. in search of the causes of the problems and possible ones Solutions. In Italy, correspondent Cornelia Vospernik finds hopelessly overcrowded hospitals. A doctor from Naples recently shocked people with a video in which he puts on a bulletproof vest before going to work in the emergency room. He wanted to draw attention to the fact that violence is becoming more and more common in Italy’s emergency rooms because everyone’s nerves are on edge. Because of the catastrophic conditions, the country has lost 180,000 health workers to foreign countries in the past 20 years. Agencies that rent out medical professionals to hospitals privately should now defuse the situation.
In Spain, correspondent Josef Manola visits the so-called Centros de Salud, the state health centers that are also open at night and primarily provide primary care. This relieves the burden on hospital outpatient departments. Referrals to specialists are managed centrally. Patients and doctors are satisfied. But austerity measures threaten the functioning system. In Switzerland, correspondent Gerhard Janser learns that the Swiss health system is just as expensive as the Austrian one, but much more efficient. There he mainly meets medical staff from neighboring countries such as Italy, who were attracted by the good pay. A solution that also provides relief for the shortage of nursing staff.