Dispute over surgery appointments

Priority for Viennese: Burgenland rages over hackers

Burgenland's regional leader Hans Peter Doskozil (SPÖ), FPÖ politician Norbert Hofer and Vienna's City Councillor for Health Peter Hacker (SPÖ) - from left to right.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Helmut Fohringer, Uta Rojsek-Wiedergut, Reinhard Holl, Peter Tomschi)

Separate waiting lists for Viennese and guest patients from the federal states. Vienna's City Councillor for Health Peter Hacker's ideas in the "Krone" are causing a stir in Burgenland. Provincial leader Doskozil (SPÖ) threatens legal action, FPÖ man Hofer directs unfriendliness.

Viennese patients are to be given surgery appointments faster in "their" city than visiting patients from the provinces. City Councillor for Health Peter Hacker (SPÖ) raised eyebrows in the "Krone" newspaper with the idea of separate waiting lists.

This infuriates Burgenland's politicians. Provincial leader Hans Peter Doskozil - like Hacker from the SPÖ - rages: "I assume that laws and treaties in Austria will be observed. If not, we will use all legal options to defend ourselves. This is no way to treat people who have paid into the system for years."

Burgenland's Upper Blue Norbert Hofer is also not prepared to accept this: "It's a disgrace. It's an insult to all commuters who work in Vienna and have helped to build the city." And he literally advises Hacker not to show up in Burgenland. The reception would sometimes be unfriendly.

The background to the dispute: Lower Austria and Burgenland are dependent on Vienna's hospitals because they can only partially care for their population themselves. The capital city receives money for this. The question is: enough money?

Vienna FPÖ health spokesman Wolfgang Seidl believes that the conditions in the capital are home-made: "Hacker is trying to shift responsibility for poor planning and mismanagement."

It is interesting that no reactions were heard from Lower Austria on Sunday. Presumably because the politicians in Lower Austria were busy with the mayoral elections.