University Hospital and UKH

Linz Hospitals Extend Their Partnership

It’s still just a vision: In the future, the two hospitals are also to be physically connected.(Bild: Land OÖ)

There was uncertainty for a month, but now it’s official: The partnership between Kepler University Hospital (KUK) and the Trauma Hospital (UKH) will be extended. Specifically, this involves 15 surgeries that KUK can refer to UKH each month. The goal is to expand the partnership in the future.

The partnership between the two hospitals, which had been in effect since March, expired at the end of June. Since then, negotiations have been underway regarding how to proceed—at times difficult, according to insider sources in recent weeks. But now an agreement has been reached: “The agreement has been extended under the same terms through December 31, 2026,” said KUK Managing Director Meinhard Lukas on Monday in response to a query from “Krone.”

This means that, as before, the UKH will take on up to 15 patients per month from the KUK to perform elective surgeries—such as hip or knee surgeries. The goal is to reduce surgery wait times and make more efficient use of existing infrastructure and personnel resources.

According to Lukas, despite the renewed time limit, plans are in place to continue the cooperation beyond this year—it is even set to be “expanded.” The KUK manager did not want to provide any details yet, as discussions are still ongoing.

The effort to physically connect the two hospitals remains on track. As previously reported, a bridge is to be built between the hospitals for this purpose. The recently reported 2.1-million-euro project is not yet finalized, says Lukas. However, an agreement has now been reached to submit an application to the authorities so that the City of Linz’s Design Advisory Board can review it. “A physical connection between the two hospitals is essential for deepening the partnership,” says Lukas, hoping for rapid progress.