Due to lack of staff

Urgently needed operation canceled at short notice

An operating theater had to be closed due to a lack of staff (symbolic image).

(Bild: APA/HELMUT FOHRINGER)

Four days before a long-awaited operation, a pensioner was put off by email due to a lack of nursing staff at the hospital. His new appointment could now be several months away. 

Around five decades in the catering industry have left their mark on the body of Helmut L. (70) from the district of Baden. Following hip problems, his left shoulder had been giving him a hard time since the previous year. A conversation with a doctor he had met through his orthopaedic surgeon made it clear that an operation was the only way out of the pain.

First acceptance, then rejection
After preliminary examinations and assessments, the pensioner was due to go under the knife at Vienna's Herz-Jesu Hospital at the beginning of July. But L. now has to continue to struggle through everyday life, the appointment was canceled at short notice four days beforehand. "I initially received a confirmation email on the same day informing me when and where I should be at the hospital," says the 70-year-old. A few hours later, Helmut L. received another email - this time canceling his appointment.

Unfortunately, we also have to contend with staff shortages and cannot guarantee 100 percent that all operations will actually take place as planned.

Eine Sprecherin des Herz-Jesu-Krankenhauses

The patient immediately called his surgeon, who didn't even know about the canceled appointment. Despite all her efforts, she was unable to change anything. At least L. now knew the reason: there was a lack of staff, as the hospital confirmed to the Krone. "Due to a lack of nursing staff, an operating room had to be closed. Such a decision naturally has consequences, it has to be 'reshuffled' and prioritized," explains a spokeswoman. However, they are working flat out to allocate alternative dates. In the case of L., however, it has not yet been possible to give a specific date. "It could take several months," he was told.

For FPÖ health spokesman Richard Punz, such conditions in hospitals are difficult to bear: "It is unacceptable to wait three quarters of a year for an urgently needed operation and then - without your doctor's knowledge - be removed from the appointment calendar at short notice."