Major staff shortage – Already the second year without school vaccinations in Vienna

A dramatic shortage of school doctors in Vienna means that there are again no immunizations at some school locations. The alternative offer is not a real alternative for families.

Johanna B. discovered what had been vaccinated when this letter from parents fluttered into the mailbox of her apartment in Seestadt in the 22nd district: “Due to a current blatant staff shortage (…) it is not possible to provide a school doctor.” But you can vaccinate your child from Monday to Friday between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. in the third district.

“My son Martin goes to an all-day elementary school with lessons from Monday to Thursday until 3.30 p.m. and on Friday until just before 2 p.m. Like me, my partner is employed and we have a younger daughter who goes to kindergarten. Going to the 3rd district at these times without an appointment is a joke, ”rumbles the mother.

Shortage of school doctors is a growing problem
“I warned the local council 15 years ago that there would be a big problem with the fewer and fewer school doctors,” reports a retired doctor who prefers to remain anonymous in an interview with the “Krone”.

This was also confirmed by Gudrun Weber, school doctor assistant at the Vienna Medical Association: “There is a great shortage of school doctors in the compulsory school sector in Vienna. The pay is so bad that most doctors don’t care about the job, ”she says. “Corona made the situation even worse. Recently there has also been a wave of retirements. “

“Free vaccinations are well received”
The two doctors disagree about how outsourcing school vaccinations affects willingness to vaccinate. While the ex-school doctor thinks that “experience has shown that only committed parents with a higher level of education accept the hardships”, Weber says: “The possibility of free vaccinations is generally widely accepted, even if it cannot take place in school.”

For the indignant mother, it is above all the time wasted on the part of the city of Vienna that makes her despair: “After the experience with the Covid test road on the last day of the holiday, when I waited 2.5 hours with my son with an appointment, I have no idea Good. “

Specifically, these are vaccinations against measles, mumps and rubella for grades 1 to 7, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis-poliomyelitis, Repevax for grades 3, HPV vaccinations for grades 4 as part of two partial vaccinations and the Vaccinations against hepatitis B for the 6th grade.

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