Children Wait Up to Seven Months for Surgery in Vienna's City Hospitals

Children Wait Up to Seven Months for Surgery in Vienna's City Hospitals Vienna's audit office finds children wait up to seven months for elective ENT surgery in city hospitals. First clinic appointment takes at least six months. Topics: News, Healthcare.

Vienna’s independent control office, the Stadtrechnungshof (municipal court of audit), has published a report that local media call a testimony of failure. Its headline finding: in Vienna’s municipal hospitals (Städtische Kliniken, WSK), children wait up to seven months for elective ear, nose and throat surgery — the median waiting time was 22 to 30 weeks. First appointments at ENT outpatient clinics (HNO-Ambulanz) take at least six months. Here is what the audit investigated, why the Spitalskonzept 2030 reform fell short, and what parents can do now.

Shock figures: children wait 22 to 30 weeks for surgery

Children in Vienna’s city hospitals waited 22 to 30 weeks for elective ENT operations (HNO-Operationen) — median values, meaning half of all patients waited even longer. Thirty weeks is almost seven months of waiting for surgery a doctor has already approved. The figures are reported by heute.at, citing the Stadtrechnungshof report.

Outpatient care looks even worse: by the end of the audited period, the first appointment at a municipal ENT clinic was available only after at least six months. As krone.at notes, adults face a similar picture — but for children the consequences of waiting hit hardest, since the delay covers a period of active development.

The audit covered the period since late 2021, and the court’s Tätigkeitsbericht 2026 (annual report) was published on 6 October 2026; all Stadtrechnungshof reports are available online.

What the Stadtrechnungshof investigated and why clinics were closed

The trigger was Spitalskonzept 2030, Vienna’s hospital development concept, under which the municipal ENT network was restructured. In April 2024, the ENT department of Klinik Favoriten moved to Klinik Donaustadt, and the department of Klinik Hietzing moved to Klinik Landstraße. The ENT outpatient clinic at Klinik Ottakring was closed. As meinbezirk.at details, all ENT care was to be concentrated at two new hub locations — Donaustadt and Landstraße.

The municipal health network Wiener Gesundheitsverbund (WIGEV) set target values (Zielwerte) for three areas: outpatient care, inpatient care and surgeries. The Stadtrechnungshof compared plan versus reality — and the key targets were missed.

Why the ENT reform fell short

The audit found that bed utilisation at the two ENT wards ran clearly below plan, and both clinics saw far fewer outpatient visits than scheduled. Operating-room hours at both hospitals were not fully available, so surgical teams could not physically deliver the planned number of operations. As krone.at writes, the reform’s statistics were cosmetically adjusted, while doctors had warned of the debacle well in advance.

Another explosive detail: between 2020 and 2025, a total of just 21 ENT operations were performed under the cooperation agreement with private clinics. The Vienna Greens highlighted this in their press release — the private sector remained an almost unused relief valve for the queues.

What long waits mean for children’s health

ENT problems in children are not just “a sore ear.” Waiting six to seven months means a child spends months with hearing impairment (Hörstörungen), sleep and breathing problems, missing kindergarten or school. The biggest risk: while families wait, an acute condition can become chronic (Chronifizierung), and a delayed procedure can lead to serious complications.

A waiting time of six to seven months for a surgical appointment is an enormous burden for children and their families. While the child waits, the problems can become chronic — from hearing disorders to sleep apnoea — and the delay risks acute complications. This is completely unacceptable.

— Barbara Huemer, health spokesperson for the Vienna Greens

David Ellensohn, chair of the Stadtrechnungshof committee, summed it up sharply: the two new ENT hub locations and the agreements with private providers “have clearly not contributed significantly to improving care.”

Recommendations and the health network’s response

The control office issued three recommendations to the city’s health administration: set clear threshold values for deviations from targets, investigate the reasons for the shortfalls, and speed up the evaluation (Evaluierung) of the ENT care plan. In its response, Wiener Gesundheitsverbund said some recommendations have already been implemented, others are in progress, and service volumes had gradually increased during the audited period. Politically, the Greens demand immediate fixes, while the FPÖ blames city councillor for health Thomas Hacker for dismantling the system.

What parents can do now

Practical takeaways for families: the two main ENT hubs are Klinik Donaustadt and Klinik Landstraße, where treatment is provided with a referral and your e-card (health insurance card). What actually helps shorten the wait:

• Check your alternative-practitioner status (Wahlarzt): if the doctor accepts Wahlarzt patients, the gap between the insurance tariff and the actual fee is reimbursed by your health insurance fund — since 2026 this has become harder for many patients due to co-pays on doctor visits, see our overview of the new ÖGK charges.
• Do not wait it out: if your child has hearing problems, loud snoring or suspected sleep apnoea, ask the paediatrician to put you on the waiting list urgently — progressive conditions must not be postponed.
• Keep up with children’s health programmes: even the electronic Eltern-Kind-Pass (preventive check-up programme for children) has suffered delays — as we reported, IT setbacks hit family prevention first.

The Stadtrechnungshof’s shock report is a signal that queues in Vienna’s municipal hospitals are not shrinking yet. If healthcare in Vienna matters to you, subscribe to the how2austria newsletter — we track these changes and explain them in plain language.