Vienna ÖVP Demands Immediate Measures Against Heat in Hospitals

Specifically, Korosec is demanding a package of measures that can be implemented in the short term. These include shading, functioning external blinds, and sun sails. According to her, such precautions can often be put in place quickly and with little effort to relieve patients and staff.

Short-Term Measures

In the medium term, the VP health spokeswoman sees the city as being called upon to adapt the technical infrastructure of the clinics. Korosec spoke out in favor of hospital-grade air conditioning systems with medical particulate filters. In parallel, she wants district cooling to be used and expanded more extensively in the facilities of the Wiener Gesundheitsverbund.

Korosec pointed to the existing Vienna district cooling network as a proven technology. "Wien habe mit der Fernkälte eine bewährte Technologie zur Verfügung. Diese muss konsequent ausgebaut und auch in den Kliniken des Wiener Gesundheitsverbundes stärker genutzt werden", she stated. This is intended to prevent vulnerable groups from suffering under summer conditions.

Demand to the City Government

The VP politician formulated her expectation of the city government in drastic terms. "Wer krank ist oder gerade ein Kind zur Welt bringt, hat ein Recht auf erträgliche Temperaturen - und nicht auf einen Hitzeschock", said Korosec. She directed her appeal straight to health councillor Peter Hacker, who is politically responsible for the agenda of the Wiener Gesundheitsverbund.

The Vienna ÖVP's demand is also tied to structural criticism: the summer heatwaves of recent years have shown that many areas of the city's hospitals have so far been insufficiently prepared for rising temperatures. In Korosec's view, responsibility lies with the city's leadership to push ahead with investments more quickly.

Political Context

The hospital sites Hietzing and Donaustadt are part of the Wiener Gesundheitsverbund, the city's largest hospital operator. Both facilities treat a high number of patients each year and depend on functioning technical infrastructure. On hot days, according to the ÖVP, the strain on staff and equipment increases further.

The Vienna ÖVP announced that it will continue to pursue the issue and politically monitor the implementation of the demanded measures in the coming weeks. Whether and in what form SPÖ health councillor Peter Hacker responds to the initiative was initially unclear.

In general, the issue of heat protection in healthcare facilities is gaining importance in light of climate change. International experience also shows that extreme temperatures in hospitals can affect not only well-being, but also treatment processes and hygiene.