The Austrian health policy follows the principle of ensuring equal access to high-quality care for all, irrespective of income, age and gender. The level of investment in health-care infrastructure is high by international standards. Also, compared to other OECD countries, the Austrian population enjoys above-average access to major medical-technical equipment, particularly in the area of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.
Austria has an extensive network of healthcare institutions. According to Statistics, in Austria, there are 277 hospitals (123 of which were public and/or charitable hospitals) with 64,703 beds in 2012. There are also 23,562 doctors and 86,445 members of other healthcare professions practicing in Austrian hospitals. At 4.8 physicians per 1000 residents, Austria has the second highest physician-to-population ratio in the EU, after Greece. Austria trains an above EU-average number of medical students.
The Austrian health system provides universal coverage for a wide range of benefits and high-quality care. Free choice of providers and unrestricted access to all care levels (general practitioners, specialist physicians and hospitals) are characteristic features of the system. Unsurprisingly, population satisfaction is well above EU average. Income-related inequality in health has increased since 2005, although it is still relatively low compared to other countries
There are around 270 hospitals in Austria, of which 178 provide acute inpatient care. One of the stated aims of Austrian health-care planning has been to reduce the number of hospital beds. Between 2000 and 2010, the average reduction in bed numbers across Austria was 10%, though with much variation between Länder. However, compared to the rest of the EU, bed numbers per head in Austria are still amongst the highest, though approximately level with Germany
If you are interested in working as a doctor in Austria, feel free to apply for a position here: EGV Recruiting
