Three to five percent of children and young people in Austria need professional psychological help. However, current government action would only cover two percent.
The Neos take a current response to a query from Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) as an opportunity to demand more psychological care for children and young people at health insurance costs. “People who urgently need psychological care but cannot afford it are simply abandoned by the federal government,” criticizes Neos health spokeswoman Fiona Fiedler.
Three to five percent of the 1.9 million children and young people needed professional support, she quotes from the response. However, the “Healthy from the Crisis” campaign, created in response to the corona pandemic, which is intended to guarantee psychological or psychotherapeutic treatment, only ensures the supply of two percent. “So the government knows very well that there are not enough publicly funded places – but is not doing anything about this blatant shortage,” Fiedler sums up and calls on the Minister of Health to address this issue quickly.
Rauch himself saw that in the answer as well. The two percent should be seen as an intermediate step in approaching the estimated supply needs of three to five percent of the target group, which, however, would have to be followed by further measures. According to the Minister of Health, there is still a need to increase standard care (in the private sector as well as inpatient) in order to cover needs.
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