While the federal government is planning a tax-free bonus of 500 euros for doctors and nursing staff in Austria's hospitals and care facilities to honor their achievements during the coronavirus pandemic, doctors and nursing staff are excluded from this bonus if their employer is privately owned and non-denominational. This is despite the fact that private and rehabilitation clinics have also demonstrably contributed to relieving the burden on the general healthcare system during the pandemic.
"A pandemic does not differentiate between the sponsorship of an employer, which is why we did not differentiate," says Primar Dr. Josef Macher, President of the Austrian Private Hospitals. He goes on to explain: "Patients were transferred to private clinics during the pandemic to relieve the burden on public hospitals. Some rehabilitation clinics had set up and maintained operations exclusively for Covid patients for a while and the staff in our retirement and nursing homes were also exposed to the known, special stresses last year. And now, in retrospect, a distinction is suddenly being made according to the sponsorship of the healthcare company - some receive a bonus and some do not. This is intolerable," says Macher.
Employees of the affected companies had also made a significant contribution to overcoming the challenges during the pandemic and were also exposed to increased stress and a particular risk of infection. The retrospective differentiation in bonus payments is therefore discriminatory. "Last year, everyone stuck together during the crisis and celebrated the 'everyday heroes' - and now, when it comes to bonus payments and the need to follow up thanks with action, a distinction is suddenly being made between heroes who have earned the bonus and heroes who have not," says Macher.
The Association of Private Hospitals is therefore demanding that the bonus payment of EUR 500 be paid to all affected healthcare employees.
About the association
The Association of Austrian 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. Further information can be found at www.privatkrankenanstalten.at
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Eva Mandl
Himmelhoch GmbH
Wohllebengasse 4/6+7, 1040 Vienna
Mobile: +43 699 111 766 56
E-mail: eva.mandl@himmelhoch.at