For damages

Markt Allhau municipality sues pediatrician

The ground-breaking ceremony for Ulrike Habeler's surgery took place in 2013. In June, the doctor sits in the dock in Eisenstadt.

(Bild: Martin A. Jöchl)

Ulrike Habeler has to go to court in June. The reason: the municipality of Markt Allhau is demanding 70,000 euros in damages from the doctor because she has not yet fully developed building land that was mobilized years ago.

When you meet Dr. Ulrike Habeler in her element, you quickly realize that the mountain doctor has female competition. Mind you: for real! Her profession has long since become a vocation for her. Ten years ago, the native of Markt Allhau, who worked for many years as a senior physician at St. Anna Children's Hospital, fulfilled her dream of opening her own pediatric-geriatric practice, a first in Austria.

Court hearing on June 7
She always remains true to her credo - never to retire - even though the obstacles placed in the 60-year-old's way are huge. On June 6, the doctor even sits in the dock at Eisenstadt provincial court. The municipality of Markt Allhau is demanding 70,000 euros in damages from the doctor. The actual amount in dispute is actually around 600,000 euros, but "for reasons of cost and legal caution" it is a much smaller sum, according to the statement.

Big visions met with a lot of headwind
How it could even come to this, that a municipality is suing its own pediatrician, is a complex story, but has to do above all with the great visions of the doctor, who has set herself the goal of being there for young people as well as the elderly. "As a doctor, I have studied the positive interactions between children and the elderly in great detail - and discovered the wonderful effects of mutual care and interaction between the generations," says Habeler.

Big visions brought the doctor a lot of headwind
However, the opening of the first Austrian pediatric-geriatric practice was only one component. The original idea of also building a children's home right next to the surgery failed - including public meetings, petitions and a lot of headwind. In 2022, Habeler then received planning permission for the implementation of an intergenerational project, which was to be realized together with the "Association JAZ - Jung & Alt Zusammenhalt, Österreichische Gesellschaft zur Förderung des intergenerationellen Zusammenhalts".

This project is not about money, but about the cause. It's about young and old sticking together.

Dr. Ulrike Habeler

Bild: Habeler

The ground-breaking ceremony for the village settlement took place in 2022
The ground-breaking ceremony took place and one house has already been built. A "village settlement" was to be built on 12,000 square meters, where young and older people would find a home with all-round care, following the "extended family" model. The focus was to be on communal living, based on appreciation and charity.

Interest rates and construction prices delayed the project
If only the aftermath of the pandemic, rising construction prices and interest rates had not intervened: The building permit is still in place, as is the aim of Habeler and her partners to stick to the project. However, the municipality now has a contractually secured option to resell the land for 35 euros per square meter as affordable building land if it is not built on. The lost profit - value in dispute: 70,000 euros - is now being claimed in court. It should be noted that this right to buy back would only have been possible if the land had not gone to the project company.

Municipality refers to ongoing proceedings
Officially, the municipality did not wish to comment as the proceedings are ongoing. Habeler's lawyer, however, speaks of a strange approach, as the project is only being delayed and has not been shelved. In any case, the doctor wants to "sit out" the disputes.