Out for hospital

AUVA General gets overseer for Böhler Hospital

The operating theater in the Böhler hospital is empty. The operations that should have taken place here are backing up.

(Bild: zVg)

There is trouble inside the AUVA: General Director Alexander Bernart has been relegated to the second row due to the closure of the Böhler Hospital. This is more of a blessing than a curse for him: he leaves behind a lot of scorched earth that others now have to take care of.

Externally, the AUVA continues to praise itself for the "masterstroke" that was achieved with the relocation of the Böhler Hospital. Internally, however, things look different: In a special meeting on Thursday afternoon, the AUVA Board of Directors pulled the emergency brake, according to reports from the Böhler Hospital.

Retreat to the second row
General Director Alexander Bernart, who in the five weeks since the Böhler bombshell exploded has squandered every last shred of trust among the workforce, must now step down to the second row. In his place, Roland Frank, Medical Director of the AUVA, is to bring the Böhler case to a successful conclusion, i.e. to work through the backlog of operations, open an interim hospital in Brigittenau in 2025 and the promised "health campus" in 2030.

AUVA takes its Secretary General Bernart out of the firing line.

(Bild: Reinhard Holl)

Scorched earth as a legacy for new managers
Frank is to act primarily as the face of "Operation Böhler". In future, the real work will be done by trusted members of the AUVA top management, it is said. For Bernart, the demotion is more of a blessing than a disgrace: the scorched earth he leaves behind will now have to be plowed by others. His chances of keeping his job have increased as a result.

"Everyone who can is fleeing"
Internal chats between Böhler employees continue to show just how devastating the loss of trust among the workforce is after the last five weeks. "I'm broken and sad and can't sleep anymore and have high blood pressure etc ...", writes one. "Everyone who can is fleeing. We are left with the prison contract - and are destroyed," says another. The chaos is also spreading: "We are now working against each other - Meidling against us. They don't want us: 'We disturb and make trouble and chaos' - and I understand that too," despairs one employee.

In addition to the unanswered question of when and where which doctors will work through the outstanding operations, Bernart's legacy lies above all in this mistrust and frustration among the workforce, which continues to find a voice in the internal chats. The Böhler teams are known for their ability to remember patients and their medical histories, even for years. But also their superiors.