https://www.sn.at/politik/innenpolitik/me-cfs-pva-chef-vorwuerfen-183933166
The director general of the Pension Insurance Institution (PVA), Winfried
Pinggera, is facing allegations. At a
meeting regarding ME/CFS patients and their
doctors, Pinggera is said to have spoken of “free riders” and “charlatans,”
the founder of the We&Me Foundation, Gerhard
Ströck, told the APA. Pinggera rejected the allegations, saying that
the talks had been “constructive.” Sharp criticism came from the
Green Party.
The Vienna headquarters and regional office of the Pension Insurance Fund
Ströck had already addressed Pinggera's reported statements just under two
weeks ago in an interview for “krone.tv” and
now emphasized the incident when asked. The entrepreneur is the father
of two adult sons who have been suffering from ME/CFS since the 2010s,
one of whom is severely affected. In 2020, the Ströck family
founded the We&Me Foundation for research into ME/CFS.
In addition to fundraising for research purposes, the foundation also aims to
contribute to the education and recognition of this multisystem disease, which has been neglected for many decades
and is affecting more and more people as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
It is also one of the most serious consequences of long or post-COVID.
“Free riders” and “charlatans”
According to Ströck, Pinggera's
alleged statements about “free riders” and
“charlatans” were made back in August 2024—
during a meeting with the PVA director, which was supposed to focus on the situation
of ME/CFS sufferers and the problems with the PVA's assessment process
. In addition to himself and Pinggera, other
people were also present at the meeting, Ströck said. He then
raised the statements made there at a “stakeholder” conference held by the We&Me Foundation
on November 19 of last year, which was attended by numerous participants
from various institutions.
He said that even then he had been disillusioned by the conversation, Even then, he was disillusioned by the conversation,
which left him with the impression that, for the PVA, the
disease “did not exist.”
When asked about this, the PVA stated that
Director General Pinggera "rejects Mr. Ströck's allegations
." “The last meeting took place more than a year ago,”
according to the written statement from the PVA press office. It continued: "The
constructive discussion at that time focused on distinguishing between those
who urgently need help and social security and those
whose recovery phase is still ongoing but who are expected to make a
full recovery."
Abuses in the granting of social security entitlements
The PVA has long been criticized by
patient representatives and experts for its treatment of ME/CFS and long COVID/
... rest at site: https://www.sn.at/politik/innenpolitik/me-cfs-pva-chef-vorwuerfen-183933166
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
The director general of the Pension Insurance Institution (PVA), Winfried
Pinggera, is facing allegations. At a
meeting regarding ME/CFS patients and their
doctors, Pinggera is said to have spoken of “free riders” and “charlatans,”
the founder of the We&Me Foundation, Gerhard
Ströck, told the APA. Pinggera rejected the allegations, saying that
the talks had been “constructive.” Sharp criticism came from the
Green Party.
The Vienna headquarters and regional office of the Pension Insurance Fund
Ströck had already addressed Pinggera's reported statements just under two
weeks ago in an interview for “krone.tv” and
now emphasized the incident when asked. The entrepreneur is the father
of two adult sons who have been suffering from ME/CFS since the 2010s,
one of whom is severely affected. In 2020, the Ströck family
founded the We&Me Foundation for research into ME/CFS.
In addition to fundraising for research purposes, the foundation also aims to
contribute to the education and recognition of this multisystem disease, which has been neglected for many decades
and is affecting more and more people as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
It is also one of the most serious consequences of long or post-COVID.
“Free riders” and “charlatans”
According to Ströck, Pinggera's
alleged statements about “free riders” and
“charlatans” were made back in August 2024—
during a meeting with the PVA director, which was supposed to focus on the situation
of ME/CFS sufferers and the problems with the PVA's assessment process
. In addition to himself and Pinggera, other
people were also present at the meeting, Ströck said. He then
raised the statements made there at a “stakeholder” conference held by the We&Me Foundation
on November 19 of last year, which was attended by numerous participants
from various institutions.
He said that even then he had been disillusioned by the conversation, Even then, he was disillusioned by the conversation,
which left him with the impression that, for the PVA, the
disease “did not exist.”
When asked about this, the PVA stated that
Director General Pinggera "rejects Mr. Ströck's allegations
." “The last meeting took place more than a year ago,”
according to the written statement from the PVA press office. It continued: "The
constructive discussion at that time focused on distinguishing between those
who urgently need help and social security and those
whose recovery phase is still ongoing but who are expected to make a
full recovery."
Abuses in the granting of social security entitlements
The PVA has long been criticized by
patient representatives and experts for its treatment of ME/CFS and long COVID/
... rest at site: https://www.sn.at/politik/innenpolitik/me-cfs-pva-chef-vorwuerfen-183933166
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Last edited: