Scandal about general practitioners – chaos doctor Thomas Haehner: now employees are on strike – news

Pensioner Jörg Keller is only a few meters away from the care center to the general practice of the Thurgau municipality of Felben-Wellhausen. The chronically ill wheelchair user appreciates that.

But the medical center has been closed since yesterday. “I would also go on strike if I didn’t get paid,” says Jörg Keller.

A note on the practice door says: “We are sorry to have to inform you that we can no longer do our work due to the lack of wage payments.”

Only family doctor practice in the community

The mayor of Felben-Wellhausen, Ralph Ott, was informed of the closure by the workforce: “The practice is very important for the basic medical care of the community. We hope to find a solution for the future.”

Legend:

The only general practice in Felben-Wellhausen will remain closed until further notice.

SRF

The medical center in Felben-Wellhausen is part of Thomas Haehner’s chain of doctors. Until recently, he ran 18 practices in various cantons via several companies.

According to the SRF report, one practice closes after the other

At the beginning of May, SRF Investigativ reported on frustrated patients, chaotic conditions in medical practices, a lack of operating licenses, over-medical treatment, abusive dismissals and outstanding wages. Since then, Thomas Haehner’s medical practices have repeatedly made headlines and one practice after the other has closed.

At the beginning of June, for example, the doctor’s office in Freidorf was closed on the instructions of the Thurgau health department. Canton employees then secured hundreds of patient files. These are now being cleaned up and made ready for the patients to pick up. The taxpayers finance the expense.

We have never experienced anything like this in the canton of Thurgau in recent years

With the closure of the practice in Felben-Wellhausen, this could now be repeated. “We have never experienced anything like this in the canton of Thurgau in recent years and we don’t want to experience anything like that either. We have great understanding for both patients and employees. We make full use of it where we have legal action, »says Secretary General Nathanael Huwiler from the Department of Finance and Social Affairs of the Canton of Thurgau.

Doctor cleverly shirks responsibility

With his company construct, the German Thomas Haehner has so far managed to evade responsibility towards the health authorities. Haehner employed around 120 people. «The supervisory authority can only access the doctor who works on site. But that’s not Thomas Haehner himself. In Thurgau he works as a manager in the background,” says Huwiler, “that’s why access to him is not possible.”

The employees of the Felben-Wellhausen medical center lack a wage. “I now have to clarify whether my AHV and pension fund contributions have been paid in,” says a practice assistant who wishes to remain anonymous. As a single mother, the situation is threatening for her: “Thomas Haehner destroys livelihoods.”

SRF Investigativ knows: Several employees have filed criminal charges. Doctor Thomas Haehner has not responded to various inquiries.