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HEALTH

Austria’s health minister confirms she has cancer

Austria’s Health Minister, Sabine Oberhauser (SPÖ), has been diagnosed with abdominal cancer. In a press release she announced that she will start chemotherapy on Friday and that her doctors have said she has a good chance of making a full recovery.

Published: 6 February 2015 11:24 CET
Austria's health minister confirms she has cancer
Photo: APA//PFARRHOFER

She said that she wants to continue with her work at the health ministry. “The road will be tough – as it is for thousands of other women – but the goal is achievable,” she wrote on her Facebook page. “Now the enemy has been detected, the battle begins!” she added.

Oberhauser was examined in hospital on Tuesday for a suspected tumour. She thanked well-wishers for their support, saying that she felt truly encouraged by their “power and energy”.

Chancellor Werner Faymann said he hoped she would soon be in “full health” and that she is known “as a fighter” whose “vitality and confidence” should help her get through the coming weeks.

Oberhauser was appointed Health Minister on September 1st 2014 and has been working to bring in a comprehensive smoking ban.

She is married and has two daughters.

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HEALTH

What do you do in Austria if your nearest pharmacy is closed?

It's nine pm in Austria, and you're out of painkillers or decongestants. You're desperate for pain relief but your local Apotheke is shut, so what do you do?

Published: 12 December 2023 11:59 CET
What do you do in Austria if your nearest pharmacy is closed?

In Austria Apotheken (pharmacies) are the only places in which you can purchase painkillers and decongestants. Ostensibly in the public interest, but it’s also a lucrative moneymaker for the businesses. This monopoly on the sale of certain pharmaceutical drugs is a subject frequently debated and is of much consternation for overseas arrivals. 

READ MORE: Why are painkillers only sold in pharmacies in Austria?

However, many Apotheken can close as early as six pm, especially if you live outside a major city centre. If you’re suffering from a cold or a nasty headache, it can seem like an eternity until they reopen. 

Fortunately, there is relief. Emergency situations will always arise, and pharmacies often band together to provide service at nights, over weekends and on public holidays.

This is done on a rota basis, so your local Apotheke may not be open, there will be a Apotheken-Notdienst (Emergency-service pharmacy) within a 5 – 10km range. 

Often, Apotheken will have a sign or screen out the front that gives the address and opening times for Apotheken-Notdienst in the area, updated frequently.

A number of websites also exist that can give you the location of operating Apotheken-Notdienst across Austria, such as APO24.at. Entering your PLZ (or postcode) will list the nearest to you. 

However, if they don’t have online access, dialling 1455 while put you in touch with a service who can either direct you to the Apotheken-Notdienst on duty, or help you in getting you further assistance. 

If all else fails, your local hospital should have a Notfall-Praxis – ostensibly an emergency doctor service out of hours. If you’re prepared to wait, you will be able to see a doctor, and they can either dispense medication, or direct you to the hospital pharmacy with a prescription. 

Before you go, it’s worth brushing up on your vocabulary. The Local has developed a list of vocabulary and phrases that you can use to describe your symptoms to pharmacists and doctors, to help them prescribe the best possible medication.

READ MORE: Colds and flu: What to say if you get sick in Austria

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