The Ministry of Health is cautious about discussing access to specialists. ÖGK deputy chairman Andreas Huss once again stated at the weekend that access to specialists should be restricted by making the family doctor responsible for referrals to specialists, as was previously the case.
On Monday, the Ministry of Health referred to ongoing discussions about managing patient flows, which should be completed by the summer. You don’t want to anticipate this.
Huss explained on ORF at the weekend that he could imagine exceptions to the GP assignment he was demanding as a specialist for gynecologists and pediatricians.
The medical association didn’t necessarily react enthusiastically. “Forcing people to go to the family doctor with such drastic and no-alternative measures would lead to a collapse due to the sudden overload of general practice,” said Dietmar Bayer, deputy chairman of the Federal Curia for resident doctors.
FP health spokesman Gerhard Kaniak sharply criticized Huss’s proposal. He already suspected approval from Rauch.
