Despite the rising number of infections, patients should take advantage of necessary rehabilitation stays, appeals the Association of Private Hospitals. "If patients postpone their rehabilitation stay for fear of infection, this can have long-term consequences for them," emphasizes Stefan Günther, Secretary General of the Austrian Association of Private Hospitals.
Many patients are unsure about their rehab stay due to coronavirus. They often decide to postpone or even cancel planned stays for fear of contracting Covid-19. Günther strongly advises against this: "The risk of infection is significantly minimized by adhering to the strictest hygiene measures. It may even be lower in a rehabilitation clinic than in a private setting, where the majority of all infections have been proven to occur."
Lack of rehabilitation measures associated with risks
Protecting patients and staff is a top priority in the rehabilitation clinics: strict hygiene management, distancing rules and regular control tests have been on the agenda here for months. Rehab has been made pandemic-proof. This is because there are risks for patients if they do not receive rehabilitation measures. "Rehabilitation treatments are medically necessary to improve or at least stabilize the patient's state of health. If existing medical conditions worsen or even become chronic, this can have irreversible consequences for patients," warns Günther. "I appeal to all patients who have been recommended and approved for rehabilitation to take advantage of it!"
The Austrian Association of Private Hospitals has represented the interests of legal entities of private hospitals since 1953 and has its own collective bargaining capacity. It represents one of the main pillars of the Austrian healthcare system. Of the 77 member companies, 30% are rehabilitation facilities.
Stefan Günther has been Secretary General of the association since 2016. As Managing Director of hospitals Projektentwicklungsges.m.b.H. and various subsidiaries, he is an expert in privately run rehabilitation clinics.
Queries
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