News from Austria and Switzerland

Switzerland:
Dr Bauer’s online continuing education courses on ME/CFS are now newly also accredited by SBAP with 2 continuing education credits per course.

Machine translation:
Dr. med. Michaela Bauer
@drmichaelabauer.bsky.social

Board-certified specialist in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (FMH)
Certificate of Competence in Addiction Medicine

De-psychologizing ME/CFS
Founding member, Psychotherapy Network ME/CFS e.V.

1/4​

All three of my online continuing education courses on ME/CFS are now also accredited by the Swiss Association for Applied Psychology (SBAP), with 2 continuing education credits per course.

They are therefore accredited by SGPP, FSP and SBAP.

Free of charge, 6:00–8:00 p.m. (CET/CEST), via Zoom.

Online continuing education course: “ME/CFS: Addressing Psychiatric Misdiagnoses”
14 October 2026, 6:00–8:00 p.m., via Zoom

Topics include:
  • differential diagnosis and distinguishing ME/CFS from psychiatric disorders
  • post-exertional malaise (PEM) as a key diagnostic and therapeutic feature
  • the consequences of psychologizing ME/CFS and inappropriate care
  • the role of psychiatry and psychotherapy in ME/CFS
Accredited with two continuing education credits by SGPP, FSP and SBAP.

Online continuing education course: “ME/CFS: Social Insurance and Benefits”
11 November 2026, 6:00–8:00 p.m., via Zoom

Topics include:
  • fundamentals of ME/CFS and post-exertional malaise (PEM)
  • challenges relating to health insurance, daily sickness benefits and disability insurance
  • implications for work capacity and rehabilitation
  • recommendations for a PEM-sensitive approach to insurance medicine
Accredited with two continuing education credits by SGPP, FSP and SBAP.

Online continuing education course: “ME/CFS: Special Considerations in Psychopharmacotherapy”
20 January 2027, 6:00–8:00 p.m., via Zoom

Topics include:
  • psychopharmacotherapy in ME/CFS
  • psychiatric comorbidities and symptomatic treatment
  • medication sensitivity
  • autonomic dysfunction
  • practical recommendations that take PEM into account
Accredited with two continuing education credits by SGPP, FSP and SBAP.

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14 October 2026

ME/CFS – Addressing Psychiatric Misdiagnoses

Registration:
eventfrog.ch

ME/CFS - Umgang mit psychiatrischen Fehldiagnosen | Kurse: Berufliche Bildung

Veranstaltung am 14.10.2026. ME/CFS wird trotz zunehmender wissenschaftlicher Evidenz weiterhin häufig psychologisiert/mit psychi
eventfrog.ch eventfrog.ch

ME/CFS – Addressing Psychiatric Misdiagnoses | Professional Education

Event on 14 October 2026. Despite growing scientific evidence, ME/CFS continues to be frequently psychologized or misattributed to psychiatric conditions.

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11 November 2026

ME/CFS – Social Insurance and Financing of Benefits

Registration:
eventfrog.ch

ME/CFS - Sozialversicherungen & Finanzierung von Leistungen | Kurse: Berufliche Bildung

Veranstaltung am 11.11.2026. Die Fortbildung vermittelt Fachpersonen aktuelles Wissen zu ME/CFS und den versicherungsmedizinische
eventfrog.ch eventfrog.ch

ME/CFS – Social Insurance & Financing of Benefits | Professional Education

Event on 11 November 2026. This continuing education course provides professionals with up-to-date knowledge on ME/CFS and the challenges involved in insurance medicine...

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20 January 2027

ME/CFS – Special Considerations in Psychopharmacotherapy
eventfrog.ch

ME/CFS - Besonderheiten in der Psychopharmakotherapie | Kurse: Berufliche Bildung

Veranstaltung am 20.01.2027. Die Fortbildung zeigt praxisnah den Einsatz von Psychopharmaka bei ME/CFS und psychiatrischen Komorb
eventfrog.ch eventfrog.ch
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Chandelier said:
Today (September 1, 2026), the statutory right to be accompanied by a person of trust during medical assessments, including those conducted by the Austrian Pension Insurance Institution (PVA), has come into effect.
Click to expand...
Swiss perspective on the Austrian novelty.

From Bluesky:

Dr. med. Michaela Bauer​
@drmichaelabauer.bsky.social​
​
Specialist in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (FMH)​
Certificate of Competence in Addiction Disorders​
​
Depathologizing ME/CFS​
Founding member of the Psychotherapy Network ME/CFS e.V.​
​
1/2​
​
An important step towards addressing structural violence within the medical assessment system.​
Insured persons are often left to face the insurance system and medical assessors on their own.​
I therefore fully support the legal right to have a person of trust accompany them. Greetings from Switzerland!​
​
2/2​
​
In Switzerland, audio recordings only cover the medical history and the patient's account of their symptoms and complaints, not the physical examination.​
However, patients report defamatory or disparaging behavior particularly during this undocumented part of the assessment.​
Audio recordings alone therefore do not provide sufficient protection.​

 
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www.burgenland.at

Neue ME/CFS-Ambulanz für Klinik Oberwart

LH Doskozil: Eigene Ambulanz und Therapieprogramm für ME/CFS-Betroffene starten im Oktober 2026
www.burgenland.at www.burgenland.at

A new „ME/CFS“ clinic in Austria, sigh.
This sounds like straight out of a horror movie:

One of the requirements, for example, is that patients must be able to move around independently.​
​
Each treatment cycle lasts six weeks.​
The programme focuses on a multidisciplinary and holistic approach.​
A team of doctors, psychologists and physiotherapists addresses the individual needs of those affected.​
​
The individually tailored treatment plan includes, among other things, orthomolecular supplementation therapies (including antioxidants), talking therapies, physiotherapy and cold applications.​
​
“Particularly important is involving and educating family members,” says Dr Veronika Matzi.​
The plan is therefore to integrate relatives into the treatment programme.​
​
…​
​
A considerable number of people affected withdraw completely from social life.​
​
“We want to help these people gradually return to normal life — that is our mission.​
The new outpatient clinic and inpatient treatment programme are important first steps towards achieving this,” Dr Veronika Matzi concludes.​
​

New ME/CFS Outpatient Clinic at Oberwart Hospital​


Registration is now open.
“ME/CFS is no longer a marginal issue, but a serious healthcare challenge.
People affected by the condition need reliable care that takes their illness seriously and addresses their specific needs.
As promised, we have created the structures necessary to ensure that this care is provided on a long-term basis,” emphasises Hans Peter Doskozil, Governor of Burgenland and member of the Burgenland Provincial Government responsible for health.

As announced by Governor Hans Peter Doskozil, a dedicated ME/CFS outpatient clinic will be established for people affected by the condition.
It is scheduled to begin operating at Oberwart Hospital in early October under the direction of Dr Engelbert Jeindl.
At the same time, a multi-week inpatient treatment programme for people with ME/CFS will be launched at the Reduce Health Resort in Bad Tatzmannsdorf.
An initial internal pilot group has already successfully completed the programme.

Further details about the new services will be presented by Governor Hans Peter Doskozil and his deputy, Anja Haider-Wallner, during the government retreat on 5–6 October.

Andreas Leitner, Managing Director of the Reduce Health Resort, explains: “As part of our Long/Post-COVID regeneration programme, we have gained very positive experience.
We have now developed a specialised treatment programme specifically tailored to the symptoms and needs of people with ME/CFS, in cooperation with Oberwart Hospital.
The programme was initially tested with an internal pilot group, which provided numerous positive responses.”

“We are pursuing a new approach in which orthomolecular supplementation therapy, combined with individualised exercise therapy, plays a key role.
The experience we have gained with this approach is very promising,” emphasises Dr Veronika Matzi, Medical Director of Oberwart Hospital.

The Path to the Treatment Programme​

From October onwards, a dedicated ME/CFS outpatient clinic will operate at Oberwart Hospital. It will be open once a week, every Tuesday afternoon from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., by telephone appointment only.

People affected by ME/CFS can arrange an appointment immediately by calling 05 7979 37170 or by email at kontakt.mecfs(at)gesundheit-burgenland.at.

The treating physicians will also determine which patients are suitable for participation in the treatment programme in Bad Tatzmannsdorf.
One of the requirements, for example, is that patients must be able to move around independently.

Each treatment cycle lasts six weeks.
The programme focuses on a multidisciplinary and holistic approach.
A team of doctors, psychologists and physiotherapists addresses the individual needs of those affected.

The individually tailored treatment plan includes, among other things, orthomolecular supplementation therapies (including antioxidants), talking therapies, physiotherapy and cold applications.

“Particularly important is involving and educating family members,” says Dr Veronika Matzi.
The plan is therefore to integrate relatives into the treatment programme.

Around 80,000 People Affected in Austria​

According to estimates, around 80,000 people in Austria suffer from ME/CFS.
The actual number is likely to be considerably higher.

ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis) and CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) were first described several decades ago.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the condition has increasingly come into the focus of public attention.

ME/CFS can be triggered by severe viral infections, although not exclusively by the coronavirus.
It is a clinical diagnosis based on the characteristic constellation of symptoms and made after other conditions have been ruled out.
To date, there is no single laboratory value or biomarker that can reliably confirm the diagnosis.

Symptoms range from severe, persistent fatigue and significantly reduced physical and cognitive capacity to muscle pain, dizziness and shortness of breath.
A considerable number of people affected withdraw completely from social life.

“We want to help these people gradually return to normal life — that is our mission. The new outpatient clinic and inpatient treatment programme are important first steps towards achieving this,” Dr Veronika Matzi concludes.
 
Chandelier said:
This sounds like straight out of a horror movie.
Click to expand...

Totally agree.
Tell me you've never heard of MECFS without actually telling me you've never heard of MECFS. It's so frustrating. They just take a standard rehabilitation program and adapt it slightly. What idiots.

Meanwhile, they even have a reference center in Vienna that specifically offers training on how to properly deal with and treat people with MECFS.
I dont get it.
 
Dude said:
They just take a standard rehabilitation program and adapt it slightly. What idiots.
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What particularly scares me is the „educating family members“ part.
Looks like the doctors took a 101 in „How to poison the relationship between the patient and the people closest to them in 5 easy sentences“.

I remember watching a documentary about an anorectic young woman.
The doctors told the family that the only thing that could save her would be a separation from the family.
After all, the family dynamics might hinder her from learning to eat again.
The family agreed and the patient was moved far away into a rehab in Spain or Portugal where she would eventually die alone without any of her family around.
The parents didn’t seem upset about having received that advice.
In their view, everyone tried the best they could.
 
Dude said:
Meanwhile, they even have a reference center in Vienna that specifically offers training on how to properly deal with and treat people with MECFS.
I dont get it.
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The average health professional has average skill and intelligence, and they are simply not taught to assess complex questions independently or come to their own judgments. They don't know how to train themselves on research progress, so they rely on institutional hierarchies or their peer group to tell them what to think and do. Yet, if something about vitamin D pops up on Youtube or a fringe immune theory gets featured on a Die Zeit podcast, they find that interesting too.
 
Chandelier said:
A new „ME/CFS“ clinic in Austria, sigh.
This sounds like straight out of a horror movie:

The individually tailored treatment plan includes, among other things, orthomolecular supplementation therapies (including antioxidants), talking therapies, physiotherapy and cold applications.“Particularly important is involving and educating family members,” says Dr Veronika Matzi.The plan is therefore to integrate relatives into the treatment programme.
Click to expand...
This story gets better and better, like old pudding after a day out under the savanna sun.
I had no clue about the story behind orthomolecular medicine.
From Bluesky, machine translation:

Hans H. Diebner
September 5, 2026

The work, thought, and life of Linus Pauling surely belong among the top ten most bizarre biographies. His outstanding scientific talent earned him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1954. At the same time, he was a tireless peace activist, which brought him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1963 as well.

After that, however, he went down the rabbit hole of an obstinate, doctrinaire scientific ideology that later came to be known as “orthomolecular medicine” and that still reaches harmful levels of influence in esoteric circles today. Pauling, who was also called the “vitamin pope” because of his high-dose vitamin doctrine, believed that taking daily doses of vitamins many times higher than the recommended amounts could control almost every disease, including schizophrenia and cancer. The spectrum thus ranged from all manner of somatic diseases to psychiatric syndromes.

Ironically, he himself died of cancer, and to what extent this esoteric medicine was merely an attempt to fulfill his “forever young” wish and practice self-therapy is an open question for biographical researchers. In any case, during the 1970s pharmacies were, for a time, completely cleaned out of their vitamin supplies, and numerous people suffered from hypervitaminosis. Pauling was by no means a marginal figure: he was widely embraced by the general public.

If, today, more than 50 years after these obstinate ideas first emerged, an ME/CFS clinic lists orthomolecular supplementation therapy, along with talk therapy and cold therapies, among its most important therapeutic approaches, then all the alarm bells really ought to go off. This certainly does not mean that particular dietary supplements, taken at reasonable doses, cannot have symptom-relieving effects. As I understand it, that still falls under the heading of disease management. But anyone who turns this into its opposite by dressing it up as orthomolecular medicine—as has already been done with pacing by recasting it as exercise therapy—makes themselves look suspiciously like a quack.

Finally, it should be noted that even back then, Pauling’s audacious idea did not produce the slightest evidence in its favor. In my view, orthomolecular supplementation therapy operates on roughly the same level as homeopathy.

For the sake of completeness, I should also add that in his later years Pauling rigorously rejected the existence of quasicrystals, which went on to virtually revolutionize materials science. He coined the now-famous mocking phrase: “There are no quasicrystals, only quasi-scientists.” But, as we know, when you point one finger at someone else, four fingers point back at yourself.
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www.derstandard.de

51 Prozent zweifeln grundsätzlich am Nutzen von FFP2-Masken

Bei einer neuen Infektionswelle würde die Mehrheit nicht freiwillig FFP2-Maske tragen. 39 Prozent wollen generell keine Masken bei Mitmenschen sehen. Das zeigt eine aktuelle IMAS-Umfrage
www.derstandard.de www.derstandard.de

Austria, article about an IMAS survey (PDF).
Machine translation:


51 Percent Fundamentally Doubt the Benefits of FFP2 Masks​

​
…​
​
​
Majority Opposes Masks in the Event of an Infection Wave​
While 45 percent and 44 percent, respectively, would like to see people with symptoms of illness wear a mask in hospitals and at doctors’ offices, 39 percent cannot think of any situation in which they would want to see people around them wearing a face mask. Around one in four respondents considers wearing masks when experiencing symptoms of illness in waiting rooms or on public transport to be sensible. The willingness to wear a mask tends to increase with age and level of education.​
​
If another wave of infections were to hit, 40 percent say they would voluntarily wear an FFP2 mask, while 51 percent would not. Thirty-nine percent would support a recommendation to wear a mask when experiencing symptoms of illness in facilities such as nursing homes or hospitals, while 49 percent reject such a recommendation. Twelve percent did not provide an answer.​
​
 
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Austria. 55-minute radio discussion about ME/CFS in kids.

oe1.orf.at

ME/CFS: "Meine Jugend ohne mich" | DO | 10 09 2026 | 13:00

Nicht selten, aber ignoriert und unsichtbar: Wenn junge Menschen an ME/CFS erkranken und was sie und ihre Familien dringend brauchen. Gäste: Ruth Karner, Mitgründerin und Vorsitzende von UN:LOCKJU,...
oe1.orf.at oe1.orf.at

“If we had listened to the senior physician in the hospital’s pediatric department, who attributed the whole thing to a psychological cause, we would not have been able to maintain his health.”
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Description from the website, machine translated:

ME/CFS: “My Youth Without Me”​

Not rare, but ignored and invisible: When young people develop ME/CFS and what they and their families urgently need​

Guests: Ruth Karner, co-founder and chair of un:LOCKJU, mother of a daughter affected by ME/CFS; and Birgit Lange, mother of a son affected by ME/CFS.
Moderator: Barbara Zeithammer.

“Barely any energy in the morning.” “Always being in pain.” “Never being able to take part.” “Even missing school.” “Suddenly, nothing works anymore.”

They should be running around, learning, discovering who they are, meeting friends. Instead, they are often left with nothing but lying in bed, frequently in silence and darkness, overcome by total exhaustion. For children and adolescents who develop ME/CFS, a severe chronic multisystem disease, nothing is the way it used to be. And there is very little help available.

“This disease is at odds with everything our society values,” says Birgit Lange, “and on top of that, you are pretty much left on your own.” One of her children has been affected since suffering a gastrointestinal infection two years ago. “Our son has been completely unable to attend school for two years. He is highly sensitive to noise, experiences pain, and encounters a lack of understanding everywhere he goes. If we had listened to the senior physician in the hospital’s pediatric department, who attributed the whole thing to a psychological cause, we would not have been able to preserve his health. Who knows how much worse he would be today.”

“Everyone needs to look and see that ME/CFS also affects children. These are devastating stories, and the disease primarily affects young people, particularly those aged 10 to 19,” says Ruth Karner, co-founder and chair of the Upper Austrian association UN, which connects and supports affected families and advocates for political change. Her daughter Martha was nine years old, an enthusiastic cyclist and skier, when she developed ME/CFS following a coronavirus infection five years ago; she can now rarely leave her bed.

“Martha is 14 now. She has been ill for five years. One third of her life. Just like so many other children. There are so many stories that come to us through our association. And there is so little help and so much misunderstanding. Beyond the individual tragedies, this is above all a major systemic failure.”

“And when will you be healthy again?” “She’s just skipping school anyway.” “I’d also like to not have to go to school.”

Those affected and their families often endure a long and painful journey and have to fight to be taken seriously: by doctors, health insurance providers, society, and politicians. The disease is frequently not diagnosed at all, or is misdiagnosed. Doctors often lack the necessary knowledge, while the costs of essential home care and equipment, medications, and other necessities are not covered. Parents become caregivers and teachers, and have to reduce their working hours or give up their jobs altogether, with all the consequences this entails for the family and their living circumstances.

Yet ME/CFS, this multisystem disease, is not a rare condition. According to estimates — as no official statistics exist — as many as 80,000 people in Austria may be affected, particularly young people. Nor is ME/CFS a “new” disease: it has been recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) since 1969.

The disease encompasses more than 200 different symptoms. Its defining features include persistent exhaustion that is not relieved by sleep and severe exertion intolerance known as post-exertional malaise (PEM). This can cause a person’s condition to deteriorate dramatically, and sometimes permanently, even after minimal exertion. ME/CFS frequently occurs in connection with infections, although in some patients no clear trigger can be identified.

To this day, there is no curative treatment. However, symptoms can be managed and individual “sub-findings” can be treated, says Ruth Karner. Avoiding overexertion is central to disease management, which means that patients need to learn individualized energy management, or pacing.

While physical activity is often a path toward recovery in other diseases, it is fundamentally inappropriate for people with ME/CFS. Nevertheless, due to a lack of knowledge, exercise is still frequently recommended — with potentially devastating consequences for those affected.

To this day, Austria still lacks coordinated basic research as well as research into treatment and healthcare provision. The necessary care infrastructure is missing, as are education, support, and recognition.

In 2024, then-Minister of Health Johannes Rauch (Greens) presented the National Action Plan on post-acute infection syndromes (PAIS). Shortly afterwards, the government changed. At the end of June, a new action plan was adopted. Social security for those affected — many of whom strongly criticize assessments carried out by the pension insurance system — and changes to the curricula and training plans for medical professions were not addressed by the working group.

What does this mean for children, adolescents, and their families? What does it mean to have to live with ME/CFS, and to wait and see whether help will eventually become available? How can children and parents hold on to hope, and where do they find the strength to navigate the bureaucratic maze and healthcare system? What can society contribute, and what must politicians urgently implement?
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Switzerland:
www.deloitte.com

Long COVID and ME/CFS Switzerland

Long COVID is becoming a structural challenge for chronic care, work ability and coordination across the health and social insurance system. For Swiss health insurers, the primary task is not to create another stand-alone product. It is to build better data, clearer care pathways and stronger...
www.deloitte.com www.deloitte.com


Perspective​
10 Sep 2026​
5 minute read​

Long COVID and ME/CFS in Switzerland: From pandemic aftermath to a strategic test for health insurers​

​
Long COVID is becoming a structural challenge for chronic care, work ability and coordination across the health and social insurance system. ​
For Swiss health insurers, the primary task is not to create another stand-alone product. It is to build better data, clearer care pathways and stronger reintegration across institutional boundaries.​


I just skimmed it and quoted the flashiest parts:

Three messages stand out:​

  1. Functional capacity matters more than any single symptom.
  2. Switzerland has a care infrastructure, but data, standards and coordination need further improvement.
  3. The main insurance lever lies in mandatory health insurance, and at the interfaces between daily sickness benefits, disability insurance and employers.
Click to expand...

Five priorities for boards and executive teams​



1. Identify and segment cases more intelligently​


Insurers should develop an operational view of Long COVID and related post-viral conditions within their data. This may combine available diagnostic information with patterns such as repeated specialist consultations, rehabilitation and prolonged functional impairment.

Those indicators should support expert review rather than replace clinical judgement. Their use should also be embedded in robust data governance, privacy protection and transparent decision-making.



2. Establish quality-assured care pathways​


The objective is not to direct every affected person into specialist care. It is to create clear triage and referral logic, identify qualified provider and rehabilitation networks, reduce avoidable duplication, and define meaningful outcomes for each pathway.

The Swiss system already has recognised recommendations and specialised services. Insurers can add value by helping people navigate them more consistently and by using quality and outcome criteria when developing provider relationships.2



3. Connect healthcare system and work reintegration earlier​


Medical care, daily sickness benefits, disability insurance and employers often become involved at different points and with different information. Earlier coordination - within clear consent, confidentiality and data-protection boundaries - can help reduce gaps and support realistic return-to-work planning.

The goal should not be to accelerate reintegration at any cost. It should be to establish an informed, individual and sustainable path that reflects the fluctuating nature of the condition.



4. Measure outcomes beyond healthcare expenditure​


Relevant outcomes include functional capacity, work ability, stabilisation and the avoidance of unnecessary diagnostic loops or duplicated services. Cost remains important, but it should not be the only lens through which performance is assessed.

A pathway that appears more expensive initially may create greater value if it supports appropriate treatment, reduces repeated assessments or improves the prospects of sustainable reintegration. Conversely, additional services without measurable benefit risk increasing complexity without improving outcomes.



5. Help shape emerging standards​


The national strategy creates an opportunity for insurers to contribute practical experience in care steering, insurance medicine, data and reintegration. Participation in research, pilot programmes and suitable data partnerships can strengthen the evidence base and improve the future consistency of care.

Credibility will be decisive. Insurers should prioritise evidence-based services, be transparent in communicating uncertainty and maintain a clear distinction between promising innovation and unverified statements. The broader leadership agenda therefore spans case identification, provider networks, reintegration, outcome measurement and active participation in emerging standards.
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Leadership questions to take into the boardroom​

  • Can we identify Long COVID and ME/CFS-related cases reliably in our portfolio today?
  • Which providers and rehabilitation partners should form a quality-assured pathway?
  • How do we connect mandatory health insurance, daily sickness benefits, disability insurance and employers early enough?
  • Which outcomes do we measure beyond cost - especially function, work ability and stabilisation?
  • What role do we want to play in the national strategy and in future data partnerships?
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It can always simply be summed up as: people should do their job, and they should also not do things that are equivalent, or worse, to not doing their job. Always.

Which is always what we have asked for. It's all plenty documented over decades, millions and millions of complaints, which is something that is widely acknowledged, yet is used to excuse total system failure. By comparison the tobacco industry looks almost innocent.
 
Earlier coordination - within clear consent, confidentiality and data-protection boundaries - can help reduce gaps and support realistic return-to-work planning.

The goal should not be to accelerate reintegration at any cost. It should be to establish an informed, individual and sustainable path that reflects the fluctuating nature of the condition.
Click to expand...
…
Relevant outcomes include functional capacity, work ability, stabilisation and the avoidance of unnecessary diagnostic loops or duplicated services. Cost remains important, but it should not be the only lens through which performance is assessed.

A pathway that appears more expensive initially may create greater value if it supports appropriate treatment, reduces repeated assessments or improves the prospects of sustainable reintegration. Conversely, additional services without measurable benefit risk increasing complexity without improving outcomes.
Click to expand...
They might also cause harm. If only this led to them ditching the BPS and rehab stuff..
 
burgenland.orf.at

Landtag fordert bessere ME/CFS Versorgung

Der burgenländische Landtag fordert vom Bund mehr Unterstützung für Betroffene von ME/CFS. Alle vier Landtagsparteien – SPÖ, FPÖ, ÖVP und Grüne – sprachen sich am Mittwoch bei einer gemeinsamen Pressekonferenz für eine bessere medizinische Versorgung aus.
burgenland.orf.at burgenland.orf.at

Austria:


State Parliament Calls for Better ME/CFS Care​
​
The Burgenland State Parliament is calling on the federal government to provide greater support for people affected by ME/CFS. At a joint press conference on Wednesday, all four parliamentary parties represented in the state—SPÖ, FPÖ, ÖVP and the Greens—advocated improved medical care.​
​
23 September 2026, 12:55 p.m.​



The four Burgenland parliamentary parties also called for specialised rehabilitation centres, appropriate consideration of the illness in education and research, improved social-law protections, and a hardship fund. ME/CFS, a severe neuroimmunological disease, often results in a high degree of physical disability.

Around 2,400 people affected in Burgenland

An estimated 2,400 people in Burgenland may be affected by ME/CFS. According to parliamentary group leaders Roland Fürst (SPÖ), Christian Ries (FPÖ) and Margit Paul-Kientzl (Greens), as well as ÖVP health spokesperson Markus Ulram, those affected frequently face inadequate care structures, misdiagnoses and insufficient social protection.

Many patients are no longer able to work, yet often have to fight to receive an appropriate care-assessment classification and financial support, they said.

Urgent motion to be adopted by the State Parliament on Thursday

The demands directed at the federal government also include binding diagnostic standards, as well as further training for assessors working for the pension insurance system and the Public Employment Service (AMS).

SPÖ, FPÖ, ÖVP and the Greens also want to establish a hardship fund to provide rapid assistance in acute cases. In the long term, a care-allowance guideline is intended to regulate social protection.

A corresponding urgent motion is due to be adopted at Thursday’s session of the State Parliament.

Outpatient clinic and therapy programme

In October, an ME/CFS outpatient clinic at Oberwart Hospital and a therapy programme at the Reduce Health Resort in Bad Tatzmannsdorf, in the Oberwart district, will begin operating in Burgenland.

SPÖ parliamentary group leader Roland Fürst said this represented a first step at state level. However, nationwide measures were also necessary, he stressed: “The major decisions are made at federal level.”

Within the SPÖ, Fürst intends to submit a motion at an upcoming party conference and ask his colleagues to place it on the agendas of the other state parliaments throughout Austria as well.
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Chandelier said:
burgenland.orf.at

Landtag fordert bessere ME/CFS Versorgung

Der burgenländische Landtag fordert vom Bund mehr Unterstützung für Betroffene von ME/CFS. Alle vier Landtagsparteien – SPÖ, FPÖ, ÖVP und Grüne – sprachen sich am Mittwoch bei einer gemeinsamen Pressekonferenz für eine bessere medizinische Versorgung aus.
burgenland.orf.at burgenland.orf.at

Austria:


State Parliament Calls for Better ME/CFS Care​
​
The Burgenland State Parliament is calling on the federal government to provide greater support for people affected by ME/CFS. At a joint press conference on Wednesday, all four parliamentary parties represented in the state—SPÖ, FPÖ, ÖVP and the Greens—advocated improved medical care.​
​
23 September 2026, 12:55 p.m.​

Click to expand...
The four Burgenland parliamentary parties also called for specialised rehabilitation centres
Click to expand...

For fucks sake…
 
Austria:
www.lebenshilfe.wien

Meine Würde. Nicht euer Misstrauen.

Erfahren Sie mehr über die Petition ‚Meine Würde" für faire, ärztliche Begutachtungen.
www.lebenshilfe.wien www.lebenshilfe.wien

Petition website:
www.meinewürde.at

Startseite | meinewürde.at

Begutachtungen umfassend reformieren.
www.meinewürde.at www.meinewürde.at

My Dignity. Not Your Distrust.​


28 September 2026
Nicole Reiter

www.lebenshilfe.wien

Meine Würde. Nicht euer Misstrauen.

Erfahren Sie mehr über die Petition ‚Meine Würde" für faire, ärztliche Begutachtungen.
www.lebenshilfe.wien www.lebenshilfe.wien

Almost 30 organisations, including Lebenshilfe, are campaigning for fair, independent and dignified medical assessments. From 29 September 2026, the petition can be signed on this website: www.meinewürde.at

## For fair and dignified medical assessments

What happens when a person needs support?

Often, they must first undergo a medical assessment. This assessment determines whether they are entitled to support and, if so, what kind—for example, a care allowance or a pension.

For many people, this process is stressful. They report feeling misunderstood, not taken seriously or treated without respect.

Almost 30 organisations want to change this. Together, they have launched the petition **“My Dignity. Not Your Distrust.”** Lebenshilfe also supports the initiative.

## People should not have to prove their dignity over and over again

People with disabilities, chronic illnesses or mental health conditions often depend on support. When a disability is permanent, a person should not have to repeatedly prove that they need this support. Rare or complex conditions also require specialised expertise. The organisations are therefore calling for an assessment system that is professionally competent, independent, transparent and respectful.

Existing medical findings and reports from specialist physicians should also be given greater consideration.

## Five demands for a fair system

The petition focuses on five key demands:

1. **Human dignity instead of distrust**
People affected should be treated with respect and taken seriously.

2. **The right specialist for the right diagnosis**
People should be assessed by specialists who are familiar with their illness or disability.

3. **Permanent disabilities should not have to be proved repeatedly**
If a disability has not changed, a new assessment should not be required every time.

4. **Understandable decisions**
People affected should be able to understand why an application was rejected. They should receive a copy of their assessment report and have the opportunity to challenge decisions.

5. **Independent assessments**
Medical assessments should be carried out independently and in a transparent, understandable manner.

## “We want to be taken seriously”

At www.meinewürde.at, people affected and their relatives share their experiences.

Their accounts show that an assessment can become a major burden for those involved.

Philippe Narval, Secretary-General of Lebenshilfe Österreich, says:

> “Many people with disabilities and their relatives experience medical assessments as highly stressful.”

Professionals such as Brigitte Heller from the Lichterkette association and Andrea Papp, a specialist physician and supporter of the petition, are also campaigning for change.

They are calling for greater respect, expertise and independence in the assessment process.

## Your voice matters

The petition can be signed online from 29 September 2026 at: **“My Dignity – Petition for Fair Medical Assessments!”**

The website www.meinewürde.at also features personal accounts from people affected and their relatives.

Together, we can work towards an assessment system in which human dignity and respect are taken for granted.
Click to expand...
 
Chandelier said:
From Bluesky:

Machine Translation
​
Dr. Sabine Hermisson @sabinehermisson.bsky.social​
​
I often receive requests like this.​
​
“‘My friend has the most severe form of ME/CFS and is considering applying for assisted suicide.​
The entire family is overwhelmed and urgently needs support.​
May she contact you?’”​

​
What is so devastating about this:​
​
These are not people who have “exhausted all treatment options.”​
​
They are severely ill people​
who have NO treatment​
and often no adequate medical support.​
​
I receive requests like this because I am the mother of a daughter who is severely affected by ME/CFS—and because these families are being left to cope on their own.​
​
[Poster that says:]​
This is​
not​
an individual problem.​
It is a failure​
of care.​

​
@schumannkorinna.bsky.social [Federal Minister for Labour, Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection]​
​

Click to expand...
Austria.
From Bluesky:



​
“My daughter has been living in a nursing home since December 2025—and she is getting weaker and weaker.
According to a court-appointed expert who gave evidence under oath, she is fit for work.”
Click to expand...

This is what a mother wrote to me. She is no longer able to care for her daughter herself.​
​
The shocking thing is this:​
​
This is not an isolated mistake.​
​
The expert is known for producing assessments of this kind. I have read quite a few of them—and they are appalling.​
​
And he is not an outsider: he sits on the board of the Association of Medical Assessors in Austria.​
[OCR of image from assessment]:​
> Otherwise, this consists of Dr Stingl’s usual hypothetical and theoretical statements, made in relation to purely subjective complaints without any objective basis.​
​
Numerous superlatives are used—“poor,” “at least,” “unfortunately,” “mostly,” and “presumably”—along with subjunctive constructions.​
Click to expand...

[Another photo of the assessment shows the words]:​
> Fictitious theories​
Click to expand...

​
​
But above all, he is not an isolated case.​
​
This is how people with chronic illnesses or disabilities are denied benefits on which their very survival depends.​
​
That is why 30 NGOs—including Lebenshilfe, @diakonieat.bsky.social, @caritas-austria.bsky.social and @mecfs.at—have launched a petition calling for human dignity and fair medical assessments, addressed to @schumannkorinna.bsky.social.​
​
Please support and share it.​
​
mein.aufstehn.at

Jetzt unterzeichnen: Menschenwürde statt Misstrauen – für ein faires Begutachtungssystem!

Für Menschen mit chronischer Krankheit oder einer Behinderung ist das Begutachtungsverfahren oft Schikane. Statt die Unterstützung zu bekommen, die sie brauchen, werden vielen Personen die Beschwerden abgesprochen.
mein.aufstehn.at mein.aufstehn.at
​

 
The University of Vienna (big public uni) has a sort of “goodie bag” students can get at begging [edit: beginning, lmao that typo] of semester.

It has like snacks, coupons, info sheets, advertisements, and stuff. Anyways, this semesters comes with an ÖG “awareness sheet” on long covid and me/cfs.

Awareness-Kampagne zu Long Covid & ME/CFS - Edubag

Long COVID oder ME/CFS im Studium? Die österreichweite Kampagne von ÖH, Long Covid Austria und ÖG ME/CFS informiert über Unterstützung, Anlaufstellen und Vernetzung.
www.edubag.at www.edubag.at
 
Last edited:
Yann04 said:
The University of Vienna (big public uni) has a sort of “goodie bag” students can get at begging of semester.

It has like snacks, coupons, info sheets, advertisements, and stuff. Anyways, this semesters comes with an ÖG “awareness sheet” on long covid and me/cfs.

Awareness-Kampagne zu Long Covid & ME/CFS - Edubag

Long COVID oder ME/CFS im Studium? Die österreichweite Kampagne von ÖH, Long Covid Austria und ÖG ME/CFS informiert über Unterstützung, Anlaufstellen und Vernetzung.
www.edubag.at www.edubag.at
Click to expand...
Very interesting. Machine translations:
From October, the ÖH Uni Wien, the ÖH Bundesvertretung, Long Covid Austria (LCA) and the ÖG ME/CFS will jointly launch an Austria-wide campaign on the situation of students with long COVID as well as with post-acute infection syndromes (PAIS) such as ME/CFS. The campaign provides information on existing support services, contact points and networking opportunities and draws attention to illness-related barriers during studies. The aim is to facilitate access to support for affected students and to raise awareness of their situation at Austria’s universities.
Click to expand...

On the flyer:
The term “postacute infectious syndrome (PAIS)” is a generic term for various health consequences that persist or may re-occur after infection. They mostly develop after viral infections such as COVID-19 or influenza, but can also occur after bacterial or other infections.

PAIS can affect different organ systems. Common symptoms include impaired concentration and memory, pain, sleep disorders, fatigue and circulatory problems. The core feature of ME/CFS is the Post-Exertional Malaise (PEM). It describes a pathological adaptation-recreation dysfunction, which disrupts the processing of requirements as well as the subsequent recovery and regeneration. Even low physical, cognitive, orthostatic or sensory requirements can trigger an often delayed and sometimes long-lasting deterioration of the state of health.

Although many people are affected by PAIS, social and medical awareness of this disease group remains low. Those affected often experience long diagnostic pathways, a lack of expertise in the health sector and inadequate medical, therapeutic and nursing care. PAIS can lead to significant financial burdens, for example due to restrictions in studies and employment, loss of income and additional expenses for medical care, therapies and care.

If you know those affected or may be affected yourself: There are offers of support that can facilitate further study.
Click to expand...
 
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