Rescue times too long

Red Cross: Court of Auditors attests to total failure

A "comprehensive reform" of the rescue service is recommended to politicians.

(Bild: Evelyn Hronek)

Long response times, exploding costs, lack of transparency: the Court of Audit's 188-page report on the Styrian rescue services contains serious criticism. Red Cross boss Siegfried Schrittwieser refers to the "enormous commitment of all employees".

At the request of the FPÖ, KPÖ and Neos, the Styrian State Court of Audit (LRH) carried out an audit of the rescue services in Styria. In particular, the aim was to identify potential for improvement in the design of care structures and to scrutinize financing.

And there seems to be plenty of room for improvement, as the report published on Friday shows. The criticism is directed at politicians and the responsible specialist department or their extended arms.
Here is an excerpt of the central points of criticism:

Too many ambulance transports
The mixed system of ambulance and emergency doctor journeys with patient transports leads to an "inadequately high and therefore inefficient" use of resources in patient transport, it says right at the beginning. The fact that waiting times for patients are getting longer and longer and that this also increases the strain on the (largely voluntary) staff has already been criticized several times by those affected.

Director of the Court of Audit Heinz Drobesch.

(Bild: Sepp Pail)

The experts also came to the conclusion that a "considerable number of missions in the ground-based emergency doctor rescue service could also be handled with fewer resources or simpler rescue equipment".

"Overfunding of the cages"
During normal operating hours, Kages provides the emergency doctors for the 17 bases. According to the auditors, this would result in "overfunding of Kages by the Department for Civil Protection and National Defense".

Our people work with full commitment around the clock for the people of Styria, and more and more often under the most difficult conditions.

RK-Präsident Siegfried Schrittwieser

The responsible department under the leadership of Harald Eitner is also criticized on other points. For example, in the opinion of the Court of Audit, the "control of costs" with regard to the Styrian air rescue service needs to be "intensified". It is also criticized that "the establishment of the third base was not based on any requirements planning."

The fact that there was no requirements planning for a third Styrian helicopter base is now being criticized, among other things.

(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

Murau residents often wait too long
According to the Court of Audit, 85% of the international response time of 15 minutes (the time from the emergency call to the arrival of the first emergency vehicle) is adhered to in Styria. However, the analysis of the deployment data also shows that there is "great regional variation" in this respect. For example, the rate in the Graz conurbation is 91.4%, but in the very rural and topographically complex district of Murau it is only 44.2%. According to the auditors, the 15-minute deadline could also not be met "in many other regions" of Styria.

Dramatic cost explosion
The experts at the State Court of Audit are also concerned about the costs: between 2018 and 2023, the payments made by the state for the rescue service in Styria rose by 81% to EUR 30.34 million. The "lack of cost transparency" would also be problematic in this context. Conclusion: "Double financing of services" by the state and the social insurance providers "can therefore not be ruled out".

Upgrading required for local offices
The State Court of Audit recommends "a comprehensive reform" in the "general rescue service - both in legal terms and with regard to structures and their financing." Care must also be taken "in any case" to ensure that the individual Styrian local stations are an "essential element in maintaining the voluntary service".

Neo-President Siegfried Schrittwieser defends his team.

(Bild: Jauschowetz Christian/Christian Jauschowetz)

"Take note of the report"
Siegfried Schrittwieser, the new president of the Styrian Red Cross for the past six months, which has something of a monopoly in the rescue services in this country, has "taken note" of the criticism. As he has not yet worked through the report in its entirety, he does not wish to comment on the details.

Hospital mergers extend travel times
Just this much: "Our people are working around the clock with full commitment for the people of Styria, and increasingly under the most difficult conditions." Just last week, a patient who had injured his foot in Mariazell would have been "on the road for several hours" until the patient was admitted to hospital. And he emphasizes: "We are always just supplicants everywhere. But we are not fighting for ourselves, but for the well-being of the patients."

Criticism from the opposition
"For years, we have been warning about the massive undersupply in regions such as the Eisenstrasse. Now the Court of Audit is proving us right - there is an acute need for action," said SPÖ MP Mario Lindner. The Neos are calling for "rapid reforms".

Click here for the full report.