2024-03-14 18:00:23
Unanimity for longer opening hours and more competencies for pharmacies
Vienna (PK) – The Federal Council today unanimously approved the legal basis for the introduction of specialists in general medicine and family medicine. A total of five years of training is planned for the new special subject, which cannot begin until June 1, 2026 at the earliest.
Changes to the Hospital and Spa Act were also supported by all parliamentary groups in order to address the problems of a shortage of doctors in outpatient medical and therapeutic care. The state chamber also unanimously gave the green light to modernize the list of occupational diseases. Changes to the Civil Servants Health and Accident Insurance Act were approved by the majority.
The Federal Council also unanimously voted in favor of extending the opening hours of pharmacies. Simple health tests should also be possible in pharmacies in the future. With a majority, the Federal Councilors confirmed that the federal government would in future make €5 million available annually for HIV prophylactic medication. The majority of the state chamber also spoke out in favor of a legislative package that would prevent the spread of animal diseases and improve animal health.
Motions submitted by the opposition at the meeting remained in the minority throughout. The FPÖ called for a “real health reform” and a package of measures to eliminate medication shortages. The SPÖ pushed for an improvement in health care through the implementation of the deadline guarantee and for a reallocation of the agricultural budget to convert the stables to fully slatted floors.
New special subject for general and family medicine
The new job description of the specialist in general medicine and family medicine was created with a Initiativantrag initiated by the ÖVP and the Greens. The area of responsibility of the new special subject includes the holistic, continuous and coordinated medical care of the entire area of human life, which is also intended to be expressed by the addition “family medicine” in the title. As part of the five-year specialist medical training, the doctors will not only gain insight into other subjects such as internal medicine or pediatrics and adolescent medicine, but above all they will also gain experience in everyday professional life. A transitional provision provides for a gradual expansion of the duration of training in the special subject focus training over several years. There is also the option of either completing all training that began before June 1, 2026 in accordance with the current law or transferring to the new specialist training.
The amendment also creates a long-term solution for those doctors who have fled from crisis areas and who have been working in the domestic healthcare system for some time with an exception that applies during the pandemic. This enables Ukrainian doctors, for example, to complete nostrification within four years if they submit the application for this by the end of 2024 at the latest.
This amendment would improve general medicine and make it more attractive, said Günter Kovacs (SPÖ/B). However, he criticized many “construction sites” in the health system overall, such as the fact that there are waiting times of a year for a doctor’s appointment. Andreas Babler (SPÖ/N) also believes that a “show of strength” is still needed in the health sector, where a lot has gone wrong.
Klemens Kofler (FPÖ/N) sees the basic problem in medical care as being that health insurance contracts are not lucrative enough. This would result in a massive migration of doctors to other countries with better pay. It is also important to think about the entrance tests at universities in order to have more doctors in the future thanks to more students. Markus Steinmaurer (FPÖ/O) agreed that the present amendment would lead to a strengthening of the professional profile of general practitioners and primary care. Nevertheless, comprehensive further measures are needed to improve care in the Austrian healthcare system.
Claudia Hauschildt-Buschberger (Greens/O) emphasized that the present amendment represents another important part of the health care reform. According to her, the planned in-depth training is intended to further strengthen the role of general practitioners in healthcare as the first point of contact for patients. She hopes this will also provide further incentive to take up this profession. Sandra Böhmwalder (ÖVP/N) also sees an increase in the status of general practitioners “on an equal footing” with specialists. Waiting times would also be shortened for patients if they no longer had to go to another doctor.
Health Minister Johannes Rauch also emphasized the upgrading of the job profile of general practitioners. Adjusting the duration of the training will also provide insights into other subjects and thus valuable experience. As far as the health reform as a whole is concerned, it is challenging due to the complexity of the Austrian health system. However, Rauch pointed out that for the first time there would be €300 million per year for social insurance for additional benefits and a uniform catalog of benefits. The foundations for improvements in the system have also been laid in the private sector and in primary care.
List of occupational diseases is being updated
With a ASVG amendment The list of occupational diseases is now expanded to include four clinical pictures, while diseases caused by Thomas slag powder are deleted due to lack of relevance. The list will now include 73 diseases. People who fell ill with one of the newly listed occupational diseases before the law came into force should also be entitled to accident insurance benefits from March 2024. The same applies to the surviving relatives of those affected.
Horst Schachner (SPÖ/St) emphasized that it is important for construction workers, for example, that occupational diseases such as non-melanoma skin cancer have now been added to the list. Overall, in his opinion, there is still a lack of musculoskeletal and musculoskeletal disorders or mental illnesses, which, in his opinion, should also be included in the list of occupational diseases.
Amendment of the Hospitals and Spas Act
With the Novelization The Hospital and Spa Act is intended to ensure better medical care in the area of outpatient medical and therapeutic care. For this reason, the permanent presence of doctors should not be required in all areas where almost exclusively non-medical therapeutic services are provided.
The sealed ones Changes in the Civil Servants Health and Accident Insurance Act, in turn, are essentially aimed at extending provisions on COVID-19 tests and the distribution of medicinal products. Günter Kovacs (SPÖ/B) identified a retroactive improvement in the amendment and criticized the fact that the federal government’s “lack of planning” should not be carried out on the backs of the patients.
More skills for pharmacies and longer opening hours
With the Short story According to the Pharmacy Act, pharmacies will in future be allowed to stay open for up to 72 hours per week – instead of the current 48 hours – on weekdays between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. and on Saturdays between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. They will also be allowed to set up delivery points for medicines with limited offerings and opening hours in rural areas if there is no local pharmacy. In the future, pharmacies will also be able to offer simple health tests such as blood sugar measurements or analyzes of urine samples, for example by taking blood from a fingertip. Setting up branches is made easier. An age limit will be imposed for new pharmacy licenses.
Marco Schreuder (Greens/W) sees the amendment as an important step to improve health care in Austria. The most important points are enabling medication analysis or tests by the pharmacy, but also the delivery of medicines for immobile patients. There could now also be delivery points and branch pharmacies, especially for supplies in rural regions. Günther Ruprecht (ÖVP/St) agreed and emphasized the better supply options, especially in rural areas. An important point is also the extension of opening times.
Christian Fischer (SPÖ/N) was also convinced that solutions would finally be found for underserved communities in the pharmacy sector. Similar to Günter Pröller (FPÖ/O), he was still critical of existing medication shortages. Pröller also considers the current regulations for pharmacies to be an important contribution to supplying the population.
As far as medication shortages are concerned, Health Minister Rauch countered, among other things, that a manufacturer in Kundl produces the most antibiotics in Europe. The best location policy here was to make €50 million available to expand this plant, especially since the company was investing an additional €500 million. He also pointed out measures at the European level.
€5 million for HIV prophylactic drugs
By a Short story In accordance with the Health Reform Financing Act, the federal government will in future provide €5 million per year to curb HIV infections. From April 1, 2024, all people with health insurance who purchase antiviral medications to prevent HIV infection, so-called PreP, will receive a subsidy equal to the actual costs, up to a maximum of €60. It is also planned to support necessary medical consultations with €25 per quarter. In the National Council, an amendment was made, among other things, to further specify the amount of the subsidy in order to exclude subsidies from being paid for medication that exceeds personal requirements.
Preventing the spread of animal diseases
The 2024 amendment to veterinary law is intended, in particular, to prevent the spread of animal diseases and to improve animal health. The core of the legislative package is a new animal health law that brings together disease control measures that were previously scattered across various laws. At the same time, new options for combating epidemics are being created and the substantive authority responsibilities are being restructured.
In the future, preventative regulations to maintain animal health can be imposed not only for commercial operations or wild animals, but also for non-commercial animal husbandries. The law also contains compensation regulations for killed or dead animals and for employment disabilities as well as more detailed provisions for the issuance of pet passports and for the establishment of an umbrella organization “Tiergesundheit Österreich”. The legislative package is scheduled to come into force on July 1, 2024, although the approval of the states is required for individual provisions. (Continuation Federal Council) mbu
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