Meeting in court

Former head of clinic against medical university: “Life’s work destroyed”

What happened behind the walls of the University Hospital in Innsbruck is now the subject of a legal dispute.

(Bild: Birbaumer Christof)

A hearing at the labor court in Innsbruck on Monday provided insight into a bitter dispute between a renowned doctor and the Medical University of Innsbruck. The court was concerned with formalities, but in reality there is much more at stake.

There is a lot at stake when a once highly acclaimed hospital director and his employer - in this case the Medical University of Innsbruck - meet in court. The reason is a sensitive personnel decision and the question of whether it will be reversed.

As reported, the physician Andreas Kolk became Director of the University Clinic for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in Innsbruck in 2019. Five years later, he has lost his post and was even dismissed. The Medical University speaks of different views on clinic management. The former head of the clinic spoke of deliberate destabilization of his specialist department and systematic headwinds from parts of the staff.

The dispute in court could drag on
The labor court in Innsbruck was not the first - and certainly not the last - hearing in the dispute. It concerned the details of the formal handling of the dismissal. It was even issued twice in writing. Whether the first one was served correctly was the issue on this day in court.

I decided to take legal action against these attempts at dismissal, as I believe the accusations made by the university hospital are unfounded.

Andreas Kolk, ehemaliger Klinikdirektor

Bild: Kolk/Privat

Doctor wants to return to his job
The dispute over formalities reveals deep rifts between the now unemployed surgeon and the management of the medical university. From today's perspective, it seems more than doubtful that these rifts can be overcome in any way. Andreas Kolk had already stated in advance that he wanted to return to his job. "After all, it's about my commitment to teaching and research, my life's work. That would otherwise be destroyed," Kolk told the "Krone" newspaper after the hearing.

The case is certainly unusual. According to the university, there has only ever been one dismissal of this kind in the history of Innsbruck Medical University. University legal representative Markus Orgler points out that Kolk had been offered a different type of separation several times beforehand. However, this did not materialize.

There is a lot at stake for doctor Kolk. For the university too. There is a lot of money at stake, but there is also a good reputation at stake - on both sides.