That seems very positive.
"Shocked" by the findings of the investigations by APA, ORF, and the research platform Dossier, the Green health spokesperson Ralph Schallmeiner stated: "The PVA's task is to take care of the insured, not to harass them. And he could not describe the now publicly revealed cases of ME/CFS as anything other than "systematic harassment," he said in a statement. It is "incomprehensible how people who are already massively suffering from their illnesses are additionally burdened by bureaucratic or medical hurdles." Schallmeiner calls on the PVA to fundamentally rethink its approach to chronically ill patients and to adapt to the current state of science.
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Ombudsman Bernhard Achitz (SPÖ) also agreed, reiterating in a statement his criticism of the PVA's approach to assessments, which he had already expressed the day before on ORF. "From the PVA, but especially from the Social Ministry Service SMS (where the degree of disability is determined, note), I expect that the experts are better trained." It is also about the "fundamental approach": The experts could "give more credence to the patients and the findings. Many, however, feel treated more as potential malingerers," criticized Achitz, who also insisted on home visits during assessments, which are almost always denied by the PVA.
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Former Health Minister Rudolf Anschober (Greens), who serves as an advisor on the board of the We&Me Foundation, which is committed to researching ME/CFS, advocated for binding guidelines. "The federal government must ensure that the (very good National Action Plan presented last year, note) is quickly adopted by all parts of the fragmented healthcare system," Anschober explained in a statement to the APA. This could create binding guidelines for everyone - "including for states and the PVA." "Only in this way can the highly necessary progress for many affected finally be achieved more quickly."
