An Austrian regional hospital has dismissed a senior physician after he allegedly invoked Auschwitz while discussing an overweight patient, triggering internal whistleblowing, staff revolt, and a public outcry over the normalization of Nazi-era language inside a state medical institution.

The incident occurred at Landesklinikum Horn, a major regional hospital in the Waldviertel region of Lower Austria. According to local outlet MeinBezirk and multiple Austrian media reports, the department head told colleagues during an internal meeting that “only Auschwitz would help here” in reference to a patient’s weight.

The remark was first revealed through an anonymous letter from hospital employees to MeinBezirk, published Tuesday. In the letter, staff accused the doctor of crossing “red lines of humanity and professionalism” and described a workplace dominated by fear, shouting, and bullying. Nurses reportedly began refusing to accompany him on rounds, citing an intolerable environment for both personnel and patients.

The Lower Austria Health Agency (LGA), which oversees the state’s public hospitals, confirmed that the doctor was suspended as soon as the allegations surfaced. After a rapid internal review, the agency said, his contract was terminated “with immediate effect at the earliest possible date.”

“Such statements are in direct contradiction to our fundamental values,” the LGA said in a statement. “They are to be condemned in the strongest possible terms and will not be tolerated in any way. This represents a massive breach of official duties.”

The fallout has been especially sharp given Horn’s reputation as a flagship hospital in the region. Just two weeks ago, state officials approved roughly €90 million in renovations and expansions there, marking the largest health-sector investment in the Waldviertel in decades. The idea that such an institution tolerated a climate of intimidation—punctuated by a senior physician referencing Auschwitz in casual discussion—has fueled public anger.

This is the second major controversy in as many years involving a department head at the same facility. In 2023, another senior doctor sparked outrage after allegedly telling a 90-year-old patient, “What do you want? You are 90, you are going to die,” a remark that generated statewide debate over professional conduct in end-of-life care. That doctor retired several months later.

Austria has some of Europe’s strongest legal prohibitions against the glorification or trivialization of Nazism, rooted in the 1947 Verbotsgesetz, which criminalizes Nazi propaganda and the belittlement of Nazi crimes. While authorities have not indicated whether the comment could lead to criminal proceedings, Austrian media noted the case is another warning sign amid rising concerns over antisemitic rhetoric and extremist language entering mainstream settings.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)