Case shakes Austria Woman dies because four clinics turn her away
A 54-year-old woman suffers a rupture of the aorta in Upper Austria. Four hospitals refuse to admit her because they lack beds or staff. Two hours later she is dead - now the healthcare system is under pressure.
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- A patient with an aortic dissection died because four hospitals in Austria refused to admit her.
- The hospitals justified their refusals with a lack of intensive care beds and overcrowding.
- Politicians speak of a "failure of the system" and demand a complete investigation.
The death of a 54-year-old woman in Upper Austria has triggered a nationwide debate about the overloading of the healthcare system. The patient was admitted to the emergency room of the hospital in Rohrbach on October 14 with severe chest pains. The diagnosis was clear - and life-threatening: aortic dissection, a rupture of the aorta where every minute counts.
But the district hospital was not equipped for such an emergency operation on the aorta. As several Austrian media reported, the doctors then phoned five hospitals in Upper and Lower Austria and Bavaria. Four hospitals - including Linz, St. Pölten, Passau and Wels-Grieskirchen - refused to admit the patient. Reasons: no free intensive care bed or already overloaded surgical departments.
Help came too late
Only Salzburg University Hospital agreed to accept the patient. By this time, however, the woman was already too unstable to be transported. Two hours after being admitted, she died in the hospital in Rohrbach.
A photo in the church in her home town now commemorates the deceased. Relatives and neighbors speak of an "incomprehensible failure".
Health Minister calls for an investigation
Politicians reacted with harsh criticism. Peter Binder, SPÖ Supervisory Board Member of the Upper Austrian Healthcare Holding, spoke of an "unprecedented failure of our healthcare system". Health Minister Christina Haberlander announced a full investigation into the case:
"It must be clarified how, in a modern healthcare system, a person can die because no place is found."
In the coming days, representatives of the state health ministries are to discuss how emergency capacities can be better coordinated in future.
The case highlights a structural problem in Austria's hospitals: while surgical teams are often on duty around the clock, there is a lack of free intensive care places and nursing staff in many places to adequately care for emergencies.
