2024-02-28 07:00:00
Rudolph Pointner is planning his final activities at the Tauern Clinic. The 75-year-old will retire at the end of May.
It’s high season and the parking lot at the Tauern Clinic is packed. It’s busy in the operating rooms. “We have 100 to 150 arrivals of injured skiers every day, which is intense,” says Rudolph Pointner, the medical director of the Tauern Clinic. The lower extremities are particularly affected: bones, ligaments, joints. “We often operate almost around the clock. On a weekend there was no free bed left. We had to drive patients further, to Schwarzach or even to Salzburg. We don’t have the numbers on the table yet, but it feels like they are higher than before Corona ” said Pointner.
“Where there is hectic pace, you don’t feel safe”
In contrast to valley areas, there is still enough snow in higher regions. “But it gets tight there, which increases the frequency of accidents. We also get significantly more serious accidents,” says Pointner. The rescue and medical teams are called upon. This begins with the transport of the accident victims. “The patient must have the feeling that it is calm, safe care. Where there is hectic pace, you don’t feel safe.”
A lot of operations have to be carried out at the Tauern Clinic, which happens at the three locations in Zell am See, in Mittersill and in Saalfelden (Privatklinik Ritzensee). Not an easy job for the surgeons in charge. “Everyone has to cover the entire spectrum, be able to treat the upper and lower extremities, the ligaments, every type of fracture. He or she is always under close observation. You can see on every X-ray whether it fits or not,” emphasizes Pointner and adds: “Every patient expects to be the same following the end of the care as before.”
The medical director’s tasks include planning and coordinating the departments, the individual assignments and the operating rooms. “Especially with regard to the seasons. Hardly anyone can go on vacation in the winter, the employees are also needed in the summer, so they leave in the off-season. But I have to make sure that all services are available for the local population. We provide supplies the crowd in Pinzgau not just once, but twice – because of the high proportion of tourists. And that’s where all the illnesses come from.” Despite all the pressures, no upcoming operations had to be postponed. “Interestingly, we also get patients from other hospitals, for example in urology, these are tumor patients or those who have massive problems. We can operate on them promptly, that is, within two months.”
The accident pattern also changed in the summer, with many injured cyclists ending up in the hospital. “If it dismantles a biker, it’s highly critical. These are complicated operations that take longer. There were days when we had 100 people in the ambulance. This includes older people who already have illnesses.”
Pointner is very satisfied with the workforce. “We have bottomed out and are now getting the doctors we need in all areas. We only still have a need in one specialty.” The missing doctors were brought primarily from abroad. Of the 1,200 employees at the Tauern Clinic, around 170 are doctors (143 full-time equivalents), and there are currently only three positions open.
It really ends at the end of May
Rudolph Pointner has been in the position of medical director since 1989 – with a one-year break: “I was already retired and then I was brought back once more.”
The end of May is really over for the 75-year-old. He has not operated himself since December and has also closed his practice. He prepares the handover at the Tauern Clinic. “My heart and soul is attached to this house. But the entire health care system in the region has always been very important to me. We live here from the interaction with the resident doctors. The resident doctor is the central hub for the care of the population. My vision is “That in the south of the state of Salzburg there is the medical care that patients need close to home for all patients. That there are only a few areas where the patient has to travel further. This requires a rethink.” This is already underway in the district. “The municipalities and the mayors are behind it.”
It is the last winter season for the renowned surgeon, who is considered an international luminary with his specialist knowledge in the field of antireflux surgery. From June onwards he will take it easy – but will continue to contribute his expertise at conferences and seminars. Negotiations are already underway with his presumptive successor at the Tauern Clinic and he will soon be officially presented, reveals Pointner.
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