Healthcare Services
Few countries in the European Union spend as much on healthcare as Austria. Thanks to mandatory insurance, around 99.9% of the population is insured.
General Information
This means that there are no increased tariffs or exclusions due to pre-existing conditions or lifelong caps on insurance cover.
With 552 practicing doctors per 100,000 inhabitants, access to medical help is guaranteed everywhere and at all times.
The comprehensive insurance coverage includes high-quality treatments, from flu-like infections to heart surgery, as well as free annual check-ups for adults and excellent support for expectant mothers (see pregnancy).
With additional private health insurance, you have the option of consulting private doctors, with potentially higher costs being covered in full or in part in certain cases, depending on your insurance. In some cases, your employer offers additional private health insurance as a benefit for employees. However, anyone can take out private health insurance, even if your employer does not offer it.
Further Information
Benefits provided by health insurance providers (German only).
Dentists
For adults, statutory health insurance companies pay for two dental check-ups a year and dental scaling, i.e. the removal of hard dental plaque.
Every two years, health insurance companies cover the costs of early detection of periodontitis, the so-called periodontal screening index.
Public health insurance covers necessary dental expenses for fillings, but not regular oral hygiene appointments. It also covers emergency treatment for pain and root canal treatment or tooth removal. In such cases, the cost of the anesthetic is included.
Since July 2015, fixed orthodontic treatment for people under the age of 18 has also been covered, provided it falls within the required treatment index. ÖGK pays for dental fillings made of amalgam at the back of the mouth. White fillings made of plastic are only covered for the patient's front teeth. For back teeth, you have to cover the costs yourself for fillings made of plastic (white fillings) - even if you have a dentist which has a contract with public health insurance providers.
You can be treated by dentists who have a contract with the public health insurance providers, a private dentist or at any health centre belonging to the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK).
In Austria, the patient has the right to choose their own doctor: Every insured person and their co-insured relatives can choose which doctor they use at their own discretion.
Further Information
Further information on dental treatment.
Dental health centres belonging to the ÖGK.
Emergency Numbers
- 01
Fire 122
24-hour availability
- 02
Police 133
24-hour availability
- 03
Ambulance 144
In acute medical cases, please call the emergency number 144 if a person:
- has had an accident.
- has difficulty breathing.
- is unconscious.
- is in a life-threatening situation.
By dialling 144 (without area code), the nearest rescue coordination centre can be reached throughout Austria around the clock, 365 days a year. Depending on the type of emergency, the control centre decides which emergency services are sent to the scene.
If you are not sure whether it is an emergency or a minor illness, always dial the emergency number 144.
- 04
GP Hotline 141
If you need the help of a general practitioner outside of office hours, please call the GP hotline service by dialling 141.
This may be the case, for example, if a person
- needs medication,
- needs a prescription,
- needs medical information or
- an examination by a general practitioner is necessary.
The GP hotline is available at the following times:
Weekdays from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Weekends: from Friday, 7 p.m. to Monday, 7 a.m. continuously
Public holidays: all day
- 05
Medical Advice Hotline 1450
The free medical advice hotline 1450 offers medical consultations - around the clock, seven days a week. You will be advised by specially trained staff and the emergency services will be called immediately in an emergency.
Further Information
Find more information on emergency services in Vienna here.
Further details on which numbers to dial in an emergency in Austria.
First-Aid
In Austria, every adult citizen is required to provide first aid in an emergency situation. However, many people are afraid of doing something wrong. There are numerous first aid courses and programmes throughout Austria, e.g. at the following institutions:
- Austrian Red Cross (→ ÖRK)
- Austrian Workers' Samaritan Federation (→ ASB)
- Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe Austria (→ the Johanniter)
- Malteser Hospitaldienst Austria (→ the Maltesers)
- Rescue or ambulance service of a local authority
Further Information
Emergencies and first aid
Prescriptions for Medication
A prescription charge must be paid for each type of medication that you obtain from a pharmacy. The prescription charge is € 7.55 (2025) per packet of medication. If the cost of the medicine is less than the prescription charge, you must pay for the medicine yourself. Over-the-counter medicines, dietary supplements and alternative medicines are not subsidized.
Prescription charges are capped. This means that anyone who has already paid two percent of their annual net income on prescription charges in the current calendar year is automatically exempt from prescription charges for the rest of the year. No application is required for this.
Further Information
Further information on prescription charges.
Medical Aids and Appliances
The Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) covers the costs of medical aids such as hearing aids, diabetes supplies, bandages, glasses and orthopaedic insoles if you have a doctor's prescription.
Patients generally only pay a contribution towards the cost:
- For medical aids and appliances, you pay 10% of the costs yourself, or a minimum of € 43 (as of 2025).
There is no personal contribution for the following persons:
- Children under the age of 15
- Children who are entitled to an increased family allowance (regardless of age)
- Persons who are exempt from prescription charges. However, persons who are exempt due to the prescription charge cap must continue to pay a personal contribution.
- Medical aids that are granted as part of a rehabilitation programme.
Further Information
Further information on medical aids and appliances.
Vaccinations
The Austrian childhood vaccination programme offers free vaccinations for children and adolescents up to their 15th birthday.
Information on the recommended timing and minimum intervals between vaccinations can be found here in the vaccination calendar and at doctors' surgeries.
Vaccination-Checklist
Further Information
Vaccination centres and medical advice in Austria (German only).
Vaccination calendar for all age groups.
Hospital Stays & Residential Healthcare
- 01
Hospital Stays
There are just over 260 hospitals in Austria. Around three-fifths of hospitals are responsible for emergency care, while around two-fifths provide non-acute care.
Not every patient has to be admitted to a hospital. All emergency hospitals have outpatient clinics where patients are examined and treated. They do not stay overnight - unless it is medically necessary. Patients are also examined and treated in outpatient clinics during their hospital stay.
A&E (accident & emergency clinics) and primary care outpatient clinics are increasingly being visited for harmless illnesses. This means that there is much less time available to attend to those with real emergencies. In order not to jeopardize the care of acutely and seriously ill people, please only visit A&E or a primary care outpatient clinic if you cannot reach your general practitioner or specialist - or if he/she advises you to visit the outpatient clinic immediately. If your GP is on vacation, a replacement must be offered - this is therefore not a reason to visit A&E. You can also contact the health advice hotline 1450.
Patients with social insurance pay a fixed daily fee for each day of their hospital stay, which is determined and collected by the hospital, in conjunction with the local authorities.
The cost therefore varies depending on the local authority. These fees are applicable for a maximum of 28 days per calendar year. This does not include
- Maternity stays of up to ten days
- Stays for the purpose of organ donation
- 02
Physical Therapy and General Rehabilitation
The treatment spectrum of physical therapy is wide-ranging: from acute, inflammatory joint complaints to the treatment of post-traumatic movement restrictions (e.g. after wearing a plaster cast) and chronic degenerative diseases (joint wear and tear, arthrosis).
Conditions relating to the spine are an increasingly common problem.
The spectrum ranges from group exercise therapy, electrotherapy and manual therapy to individual physiotherapy. Treatments in this area are carried out at various institutions:
- ÖGK health centres
- Physical institutes
- Physiotherapists
- 03
Residential Health Resorts
A health cure is a stay of several weeks (usually three weeks) in a health resort. These were established to treat specific illnesses. The purpose of the treatment offered is to sustainably consolidate or improve the person's health, the ability to work or the ability to provide for essential needs.
- An application must be submitted before a stay can be claimed.
- Your doctor will fill out the "Application for rehabilitation, cure or recuperation stay" together with you.
- The application can be submitted by post, fax or in person to an ÖGK customer service centre. In many cases, your doctor will also submit the application.
Further Information
Here you will find a list of all hospitals in Austria and further information.
Here you will find a list of health centres for physical therapy.
Here you can find more information on residential health resorts.
