Serious accusations

Doctor leaves clinic with harsh criticism in his luggage

Doctor Badereddin Bader strongly criticizes the conditions and procedures at the urology department in Waidhofen an der Thaya in the Waldviertel. (symbolic image)

(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

Is it about the well-being of the patients or is it the revenge of a urologist who was no longer trusted? In any case, the fierce accusations made by a doctor in the department in Waidhofen an der Thaya really hit the nail on the head. Some of the hospital's medical management couldn't believe their ears when they were confronted by the "Krone" newspaper, and they were quick to respond.

When it comes to the most popular urology department in the country, Waidhofen an der Thaya Hospital is right at the top - it has even been ranked number one nine times in a row. But from a medical point of view, there has also been a high level of expertise there for decades, as is often heard in relevant circles.

This makes the accusations made by university lecturer Badereddin Bader, who has been working there part-time as a doctor since April 2023 and whose two-year contract is now coming to an end, all the more shocking.

"My interest is in the well-being of the patients in Waidhofen," emphasizes university lecturer Badereddin Bader in the "Krone" interview.

(Bild: Imre Antal)

Health spokeswoman Silvia Moser (Greens) has also acted on the doctor's account: "I have forwarded the allegations to the patient advocate."

(Bild: Imre Antal)

Urologist comes clean
The 53-year-old addressed the "Krone" newspaper with drastic descriptions: important staff or infrastructure that would guarantee high medical quality and safety for patients were missing - the future was uncertain.

The doctor with a practice in Vienna also cited harsh criticism such as bullying and post haggling. Bader also turned to the Green Party: "If this is even remotely true, the situation is intolerable," said health spokesperson Silvia Moser, expressing her concern.

The beginning of the discord
After a good start, the urologist noticed the first problems when colleagues were suddenly placed at his side during operations. Although there had never been any problems. Bader had contributed to the good reputation of urology - he even operated on a local ambassador.

The first time we had performed a planned operation without being equipped for it? What nonsense!

Der ärztlicher Leiter Hermann Reiter sagt, dass Dr. Bader lüge.

The medical director of the clinic, Hermann Reiter, confronts the accusations with Armin Kroat, recently appointed interim head of urology. "He has botched two operations. These cases can be traced back to the AKH," says Reiter, annoyed by the accusations and says that Bader was no longer trusted.

Managers defend procedure
He was highly valued for his theoretical knowledge, but in practice he had not fully mastered some of the techniques that are standard on site. "And sometimes, unfortunately, things go wrong. As supervisors, we have to recognize this and contribute to patient safety," adds Kroat, who Bader accuses of being made interim head of urology as a "young, inexperienced" doctor without consulting more experienced colleagues. However, Kroat has been a specialist for twelve years and was deputy head for six years.

Perhaps I need to have more staff meetings with colleagues so that I can sound out where there is a problem.

Armin Kroat leitet seit drei Monaten die Urologie. Er will Lehren ziehen.

The two also firmly refute Bader's accusations about medical procedures and practices. While the outgoing doctor is "purely concerned with the well-being of the patients", Reiter sees things very differently in many respects: "That's simply not true. He's lying!"