Departments relocate

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Anyone who has an earache and lives in the west or south of the city will soon have to travel longer distances for an examination.(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

The ear, nose and throat departments from the hospitals in Hietzing, Ottakring and Favoriten are relocating to Donaustadt and Landstraße. What this means for patients.

The next major change in Vienna's hospital system. Between April 13 and 29, the departments and outpatient clinics for ear, nose and throat medicine will be relocated from the hospitals in Hietzing, Favoriten and Ottakring. As reported, they will be relocated to the Landstraße and Donaustadt clinics.

This is intended to "pool resources and expertise" and lead to greater specialization and higher treatment quality, explains the Wigev hospital association. In the west and south of the city, patients will only have access to a small amount of (emergency) care. In future, they will have to travel longer distances for examinations and operations.

Appointment postponements possible
"All patient appointments that have already been arranged will be taken over (by the Landstraße and Donaustadt clinics). In some cases, appointments may be postponed," says Wigev. Those affected are currently being informed of the relocation by the Favoriten and Hietzing clinics. It is also a change for the staff.

"We demand that planned operations are actually carried out at the scheduled time and that there are no extended waiting times or postponed appointments. Bottlenecks must be avoided at all costs, especially as the endangered ENT department in Mistelbach (Lower Austria) could put even more pressure on Vienna's ENT departments," says Natalja Haninger-Vacariu, Vice President of the Vienna Medical Association.

This means that if the ear, nose and throat ward at the Mistelbach clinic were to actually close, even more patients from Lower Austria would be forced to move to Vienna. This would further increase competition for treatment places and surgery appointments.