Austria’s Medical Chamber has issued a firm and emotional warning against what it calls a sustained political push targeting private doctors, arguing that pressure and coercion risk weakening an already strained healthcare system, according to PULS 24.
Speaking in Vienna, Chamber President Johannes Steinhart urged policymakers to shift their approach. Rather than imposing restrictions, he said, the focus should be on making positions in the public healthcare system more appealing. Young doctors, he argued, should feel drawn to these roles—not driven into them. “Incentives matter more than pressure,” he emphasized, calling for a system that inspires rather than compels.
Steinhart strongly rejected proposals that would limit private doctors’ fees or require them to treat patients within the public system. Medicine, he insisted, is a free profession, one that depends on trust, autonomy, and the absence of political force. Patients, he added, deserve care from doctors who are not burdened by external pressures.
Vice President Edgar Wutscher echoed this stance, pushing back against claims that private practitioners are to blame for shortages in the public sector. The real problem, he said, lies in the unattractive conditions of public positions. Long hours, rigid structures, and limited flexibility have made these roles less desirable. To reverse this trend, he proposed more adaptable working models, including part-time options and flexible schedules.
Naghme Kamaleyan-Schmied, representing office-based physicians, offered a more personal perspective. Many doctors, she said, turn to private practice not out of preference for profit, but out of a desire to spend meaningful time with their patients—something the public system often cannot afford. In some specialties, such as oncology, the scarcity of public doctors makes private care not just an alternative, but a necessity.
The Chamber also voiced concern over a planned requirement for diagnostic coding in outpatient care, set for mid-2026. While intended to improve data collection, doctors fear it will add significant bureaucratic burden. With already packed schedules, even small administrative tasks can accumulate, reducing time available for patient care.
Further criticism was directed at plans to allow vaccinations in pharmacies. Chamber representatives stressed that vaccination is not a simple procedure but one that requires medical judgment and experience. They warned that lowering professional standards could compromise both safety and trust.
In a system already under pressure, the Chamber’s message was clear: lasting solutions will not come from force, but from thoughtful reform that respects both doctors and patients alike.
