(Vienna, 02 December 2025) Hundreds of children brought their favourite teddy bears, cuddly toys and dolls to the Teddy Bear Hospital in Vienna today, an initiative in collaboration with MedUni Vienna, the Austrian Students' Association (AMSA), the Vienna Medical Association and the Academic Association of Austrian Pharmacists. In the lovingly designed outpatient clinics, the cuddly toys were examined, treated and even operated on by the young assistant doctors. Johannes Steinhart, President of the Vienna Medical Association, and Anita Holzinger, Director of the Dentistry Curriculum at MedUni Vienna, also provided active support with X-ray examinations and operations.
The Teddy Bear Hospital will remain open until Thursday, 4 December. The children and their beloved toys are looked after by the "Teddy Docs", students at MedUni Vienna. A real hospital visit is simulated: there is an admissions ward, an emergency room, a dental clinic and operating theatres. You can have an ECG or a CT scan done. The children are actively involved as assistant doctors. The aim of the campaign, which is taking place for the 22nd time this year, is to take away children's fear of visiting the doctor or staying in hospital.
Teddy Bear Hospital 2025 – open until Thursday
2–4 December 2025 (9 a.m.–12 p.m. and 1–4 p.m., free admission – suitable for children aged 4–8, no registration required for individuals, Vienna Medical Association, Weihburggasse 10–12, 1010 Vienna, 1st floor). The organisers ask visitors to bring slippers or trainers. The mornings are reserved for registered school classes, while in the afternoons children can drop in spontaneously with their teddy bears.