Closure plan fixed

Vienna’s Böhler Hospital to be closed at the beginning of April

(Bild: Peter Tomschi)

It is now a done deal: Vienna's AUVA building police need just under a month for the emergency closure of the Lorenz Böhler Hospital due to devastating fire safety deficiencies that were uncovered at the end of February. For the first time, the AUVA has now also presented a roadmap through the crisis.

The date that Krone readers have known for some time remains the same: The Lorenz Böhler Accident Hospital in Vienna's Brigittenau district is to be cleared by April 2, provided that a fire engine from the Vienna Fire Brigade remains on standby in front of the building until then. Those responsible for the hospital are in close consultation with the authorities, and the city is likely to turn a blind eye to any short delays of a few days.

Building police confirm expert reports
Responsible for the medical crisis scenario: catastrophic defects in the fire protection coating of the steel skeleton that holds the main building together. The defects were discovered at the end of February, the Viennese building police also confirmed to the "Krone" the account of the AUVA and its expert Erich Kern. He found that the building could collapse after 15 minutes of fire - far too short a time for any conceivable form of evacuation.

The staff were only officially informed of the imminent closure on Monday.

(Bild: zVg)

AUVA presents crisis plan
For the first time, the AUVA has now also provided concrete information on the next steps: a final, conclusive concept is to be presented by March 9 as to which hospital services are to be provided at which locations in the future. It had been agreed with the city that the outpatient clinic would continue to operate in the hospital, but AUVA recently qualified this. AUVA will present its plans for the rest of the year by March 16 at the latest.

"All operations will be carried out"
It was promised that a container hospital in Brigittenau would be available as an interim solution from 2025 and that a new "research and business campus" would continue the services of the Böhler Hospital in 2030. After letters had already been circulated informing patients that their surgery appointments had been canceled, the AUVA now promises: "All planned and acute operations as well as necessary therapies will be carried out at the alternative locations."