The increase is particularly noticeable among dermatologists: the proportion of elective doctors there grew from 58 percent to 71 percent. This emerges from an answer to an SPÖ query by Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens). SPÖ club chairman Philip Kucher warned of a “tipping point” in the health system.
The number of statutory health insurance dermatologists in Austria was 312 in absolute numbers in 2017 and fell to 233 in 2023. The number of elective doctors, on the other hand, increased from 434 to 570. Among the specialist disciplines surveyed, there was a noticeable increase in the number of elective doctors’ practices -Proportion also among urologists, namely from 55 to 62 percent.
In ophthalmology, the proportion of elective doctors’ practices rose from 52 percent to 57 percent, and in the case of surgical specialists from 83 to 87 percent. There was also an increase among orthopedists: from 74 to 76 percent.
The proportion of psychiatrists who chose doctors remained the same (86 percent). Only among child psychiatrists did the proportion fall, from 83 to 75 percent.
According to this query response, there is only one ophthalmologist for every 23,981 inhabitants, and one surgical specialist for every 80,000 inhabitants. For dermatologists the ratio is 1 to 36,634, for psychiatrists it is 1 to 59,172. There are 35,842 residents per orthopedic surgeon.
Increase in refund requests
The number of refund requests for elective doctor bills has risen sharply. There was an increase of 55 percent in ophthalmology between 2017 and 2023, an increase of 75 percent for dermatologists and 182 percent more applications for child psychiatrists. The increase in the costs submitted by patients was even more noticeable: in 2023, these were 101 percent higher than in 2017 for ophthalmology. There was an increase of 114 percent for dermatologists and 165 percent for child psychiatrists.
For the SPÖ, these figures prove that the health system is “at a tipping point” and that two-tier medicine has reached a dramatic extent. “Our health system is getting worse instead of better. The next election will be a directional decision,” said SPÖ club chairman Kucher. “If the SPÖ comes into government responsibility, we will strengthen the public health system again. If not, it is in danger of finally collapsing.”
The SPÖ therefore once again called for the “patient billion” promised by the Black-Blue government to be realized; there was also a need for an Austria-wide overall contract for doctors, the expansion of the range of services and harmonization of services. In order to combat the shortage of doctors in the medium term, it would be necessary to double the number of medical study places, including prioritizing those who agree to be available to the public health system for a certain period of time, the SPÖ repeated a well-known demand. A “real care offensive” is also needed.
