COUNTRY: Revision of National Action Plan

The National Action Plan (NAP) of the federal government on post-acute infection syndromes (PAIS) such as Long Covid or ME/CFS is being revised once again. "The plan contains many correct things, but it has not yet been discussed with all parties involved in the final stage," said the State Secretary for Health, Ulrike Königsberger-Ludwig (SPÖ), on Friday in Salzburg. She participated in the semi-annual meeting of the health representatives of the states.

"We want to find good solutions with those who implement the plan," said the State Secretary. In a first step, all offers for affected individuals in Austria are to be reviewed by the end of the year. After that, the establishment of contact points is to begin. Whether there will be treatment centers in each federal state cannot yet be said, emphasized Königsberger-Ludwig: "In addition to central contact points, outreach services will be needed." Many patients are too weak to leave their homes.

Possibly Earlier First Contact Points for ME/CFS Patients

Independent of the National Action Plan, there could already be first contact points for ME/CFS patients and their relatives in individual federal states. In Salzburg, a primary care unit (PVE) specialized in PAIS is expected to start operations before the summer, but at the latest in the fall, explained the Salzburg Health Councillor Daniela Gutschi (ÖVP) after the meeting with her colleagues.

The Medical Association in Salzburg is working in parallel to train general practitioners. "We want to prevent affected individuals from possibly not being properly understood or being categorized as having psychological issues." With Long Covid or ME/CFS, it is particularly important that people are not sent from one place to another.

Measures to Increase Efficiency and Reform in Focus

The focus of the meeting of health officials was primarily on measures to increase efficiency and reform the healthcare system in Austria. In the area of digitalization, the various portals of different social insurance providers are to be unified into a single system. The e-vaccination pass is to be advanced, and the electronic health record ELGA further developed. In addition to a reform of the school medical system, the possibilities for introducing school nurses were also discussed.

For better planning in outpatient care, the management of patient flows was a topic. "The outpatient clinics are overcrowded, and in the outpatient sector, self-referrals often lead to detours that burden the system," said Gutschi, currently the chair of the conference. Therefore, the hotline 1450 is to be expanded in the coming months and years. "The number exists in all federal states, but in different forms. We want to create a uniform basis here," emphasized State Secretary Königsberger-Ludwig. At the same time, 1450 is to be developed into an appointment portal - for example, to get specialist appointments more quickly. For general health planning, Königsberger-Ludwig wants to "breathe new life" into the Federal Target Control Commission.

Better Prevention Also a Topic

Last but not least, it is imperative to enter into discussions with social insurance carriers about a unified catalog of services and fees. "In the 21st century, it is no longer understandable that there are different services in different federal states," said the State Secretary. Last but not least, better prevention was also a topic of the conference: because the best care is the one you don't need.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.