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HEALTH

Drug addict doctor fired from Austrian hospital

A senior doctor has been dismissed from a hospital in Carinthia after he was unable to get control of his drug addiction.

Drug addict doctor fired from Austrian hospital
Creative Commons/A.

The doctor had returned to work after having been temporarily removed from his position but had to be dismissed following “an incident”, according to head of the provincial hospitals group Kabeg Arnold Gabriel.

Gabriel stressed that at no time was a patient in danger, although a report in Heute newspaper suggests that the doctor had wanted to use the wrong infusion for a patient, according to a nurse who spotted the mistake. The nurse also reportedly thought the doctor appeared confused and reported the incident to superiors.

The board of the hospital group were told on Wednesday that the drug-dependent senior doctor had been dismissed following a relapse.

According to Heute, the doctor – an anesthesiologist – was addicted to opiates and the strong anesthetic drug Propofol, the same drug that contributed to the death of Michael Jackson. The newspaper also claimed that the doctor was working in Klinikum Klagenfurt, although Kabeg hospital group have not confirmed the name of the institution citing privacy.

Kabeg and provincial government health officer Beate Prettner (SPÖ) has since been criticised by the Freedom Party (FPÖ) for allowing the doctor to return to work despite the fact they knew he was struggling with a drug addiction problem.

FPÖ politician Gernot Darmann has called for an investigation, arguing: “Carinthian patients have a right to learn what really happened and above all which roll the health officer played in this.”

Kabeg boss Gabriel argued, however, that drug dependency is a common occurrence in the medical profession.

“It is not an isolated case,” he told Kleine Zeitung, adding that drug dependent medical staff can be found in every hospital.

In such cases, the protocol of the Kabeg hospital group is to remove the employer from the patient treatment processes, provide them with drug addiction therapy and then aim to reinstate them after recovery.

“After successful therapy and a report, the employment can start again,” said Gabriel.

Although there are no definite figures on the number of medical staff who suffer from drug dependency in Austria, in Germany there could be as many as 25,000, according to German newspaper Welt.

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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?

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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