Hospitals and psychiatric institutions A Romanian citizen had been in in-patient care since 2015. Despite the involvement of numerous persons and institutions, it was not possible to organise a suitable care place for him. Due to his underlying neurological disease (multiple sclerosis) and an infection, he needed adequate long-term care. Ultimately, he received in-patient care for 1,436 days in Ottakring Hospital and died after a long and serious illness. Patient dies after 1,436 days in hospital care The care teams can neither provide the necessary emotional nor social support required for these long-term patients. Prolonged hospitalisation without the relevant medical indication fosters the development of mental and physical impairments (hospitalism). The City of Vienna conceded that, despite the great efforts being undertaken, patients in the acute hospitals have to stay in in-patient care for a longer time than is necessary from a medical point of view because there is a lack of after-care facilities and patients are not accepted back into the normal care institutions. Lack of after-care places Foreign citizens can often not be returned to their home country or to suitable care facilities despite the involvement of the embassies and the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs. The Vienna Health Association generated the following evaluation on this topic: Difficult transfer of foreign citizens Long-term patients per 14 February 2020 Institution Hitzing Hospital Donau Hospital Wilhelminen Hospital Nationality Number of days Algeria 105 Afghanistan 249 Romania 273 Greece 201 Bulgaria 56 Great Britain 200 Poland 156 Slovakia 31 Romania 33 USA 54 Poland 347 Total open cases 11 The Vienna Health Association appears to be making an effort to facilitate the release of patients to suitable after-care facilities. This will enable hospitals to concentrate on fulfilling their care obligation. This is why the “Remobilisation and After-care Beds” (“Remobilisations- und Nachsorgebetten”) project was initiated at Vienna General Hospital and Ottakring Hospital, which is also to Measures for improving the care situation 62