General practitioner Norbert Kroißenbrunner runs a teaching practice for aspiring doctors in Turnau and apparently got into a dispute with the medical university over an email. According to a daily newspaper, the doctor had demanded “applicable grammar rules” and did not want “illegible gender language”. As a result, his teaching practice was withdrawn.
The report shows that the bone of contention was a survey conducted by the Medical University on the training of doctors. Among other things, it contained the sentence: “As a student was recently trained at your teaching practice, we hereby invite you to report back on your experiences.” Kroißenbrunner, who was not available for comment for the APA on Thursday, responded to the Medical University that he wanted a survey that adhered to current grammar rules. The German Council for German Orthography demands gender-neutral language, but the texts must also be readable.
Withdrawal of teaching practice as a result
The result was that the Medical University withdrew his teaching practice because he did not “represent the same values as the Medical University of Graz”. The university responded on Thursday with a press release: “It is extremely rare that cooperation with a teaching practice has to be terminated. If we decide to take this step, it is never done lightly or without good reason.” Almost 200 certified teaching practices across Austria train students at the Medical University of Graz. In the Kroißenbrunner case, the decision was made “after careful consideration” to end the cooperation: “Due to the manner of communication, we had to realize that Dr. Kroißenbrunner does not represent the values that we want to convey to our students. The gender star may be the starting point in this matter, but it is by no means the reason for ending the cooperation.”
“Respectful and constructive cooperation”
As a university, they are missing “a respectful and constructive cooperation” in communication with the doctor. However, the rectorate is of course also aware of the doctor’s commitment to general medical care and is therefore willing to talk. The general practitioner does not want to be misunderstood as a “gender opponent”, he stressed to the newspaper.
Both the FPÖ and the ÖVP joined the debate on Thursday with a press release. The FPÖ described the actions of those responsible at the university as “unbelievable and unacceptable”. They wanted to confront Science Minister Martin Polaschek (ÖV), Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) and State Health Minister Karlheinz Kornhäusl (ÖVP) with written inquiries and find out whether this approach has political support.
Kornhäusl responded promptly by sending out a press release: “We need every committed doctor. This approach goes a step too far for me. I have therefore contacted the rectorate immediately. There must be a solution here. But regardless of this specific case, I am of the opinion that this excessive political correctness must stop. Nobody understands it anymore.”