Criticism by the Court of Audit

How the Chamber squanders the money of Viennese doctors

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08.11.2024 19:00

The Court of Audit criticizes the Vienna Medical Association. It is far too careless and generous with the compulsory contributions. Also because more and more "money" is coming in. The representatives of the profession are sitting on a treasure trove worth billions. 

"You don't talk about money, you have it" - the motto of the rich probably also applies to the Vienna Medical Association. The Court of Audit has examined the financial management of the professional association from 2017 to 2022. The auditors are not sparing in their criticism of the overly careless handling of the compulsory contributions that every Viennese doctor has to pay every month.

High personnel costs
The main points: During the period examined, income increased (plus 35 percent), but expenditure rose even more (plus 47 percent). According to the Court of Audit, this is due to personnel costs. The number of employees rose by almost 40 percent in five years. A lot of money was also wasted in connection with the Equip4Ordi project, which was a resounding failure. External consultants in particular cashed in. 

Johannes Steinhart, President of the Vienna and Austrian Medical Chambers (Bild: APA/Helmut Fohringer)
Johannes Steinhart, President of the Vienna and Austrian Medical Chambers

The now dissolved chamber subsidiary Equip4Ordi was founded to trade in medical practice supplies. As reported, the affair developed into a judicial thriller involving high bonuses, questionable deals, high losses and a veritable feud among the functionaries.

At the center of the quarrels: Chamber President Johannes Steinhart. The 69-year-old was Vice President during the audit period and had many strings to his bow.

Hardly any control, management errors
The auditors explain how the disaster came about. Due to too little control and management errors in the company investments. "These made it difficult to recognize failures by the management of Equip4 Ordi GmbH and to intervene in a timely manner," they say.

What quickly leads to bankruptcy for private companies is not a problem for the chamber. The financial cushion is thick and is evidently getting thicker. Every year, the professional association generated a surplus of 2.44 million euros. The chamber levy amounted to more than 22.8 million euros in 2022 alone.

The much larger chunk is the welfare fund, which all doctors also have to pay into in addition to their chamber levy. This amounts to several hundred euros, in some cases even thousands of euros. Per person and month!

From 2017 to 2022, the fund achieved a positive result of almost 451 million euros. The money is mainly invested in real estate and securities. In 2022, the assets invested amounted to almost 1.5 billion euros, according to the Court of Auditors. It's a good way to live.

This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.

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