Serious Deficiencies in Austrian Forensic Medicine

Oct 8, 2026 Benn-Ibler Rechtsanwälte

The provision of forensic medical services in Austria is currently subject to a number of significant challenges. On 8 September 2026, the Austrian Public Accounts Committee considered a report issued by the Austrian Court of Audit. The deliberations focused principally on the acute and worsening shortage of personnel, questions concerning the adequacy of funding, and the occasionally protracted timeframes for the preparation of post-mortem examination reports. The continued expansion of outpatient clinics for victims of violence was also identified as a matter of considerable importance.

Between January and May 2024, the Austrian Court of Audit undertook a detailed examination of forensic medical services provided in connection with the administration of criminal justice. Its findings disclosed a particular need for remedial action in relation to staffing. At the end of 2022, only 27 medical practitioners were engaged in forensic medicine throughout Austria. Over the same period, the number of specialist physicians employed on a full-time basis at the institutes declined from 19 to approximately 17 between 2019 and 2024. It is of particular concern that approximately half of the medical practitioners currently in practice will reach retirement age within the next ten years. Given that the full period of training is approximately twelve years, the shortage of specialists cannot be addressed in the short term.

The arrangements for the funding and billing of forensic medical services were also the subject of criticism. Between 2019 and 2023, the institutes received approximately EUR 36.4 million from the universities’ global budgets. In the same period, external commissioning bodies, in particular courts and public prosecutors’ offices, paid approximately EUR 36.5 million for services rendered. According to the Austrian Court of Audit, however, those payments accrued only to the expert witnesses and, to a lesser extent, to the universities, notwithstanding the frequent use of university resources in the performance of the relevant work.

Material differences were also identified in the time required for the preparation of post-mortem examination reports. Whereas in the city of Graz a written report was available after an average of 77 days, the corresponding average period in Vienna was 152 days. The reasons cited included, inter alia, the high number of instructions received and the limited number of forensic medical practitioners available.

A further focus of the deliberations was the expansion of outpatient clinics for victims of violence. These clinics enable victims of violence to have injuries examined and forensic evidence professionally secured. In addition to the existing locations in Graz and Vienna, a further location is planned in Innsbruck.

The Austrian Court of Audit recommends, above all, improved workforce planning, secure funding arrangements, and shorter processing times for expert reports. The outpatient clinics for victims of violence are likewise to be further expanded. The Committee took unanimous note of the report.

Austrian Parliament, Parliamentary Correspondence No. 803 of 8 September 2026: “Public Accounts Committee considers the future of forensic medical services” (Rechnungshofausschuss berät über Zukunft der gerichtsmedizinischen Versorgung“)