Opposition criticises gov't decision to reject Razsochy hospital project

The 'Slovakia' party blasted the Government's intention to build a new hospital in the Bratislava borough of Ruzinov instead of the Razsochy area on Wednesday and claimed that instead of a state-of-the-art university hospital, the country will get nothing but an annex building to the Ruzinov hospital.

The party underlined that never in Slovakia's modern history has the Razsochy project been so comprehensively drafted and at such a late stage of preparation as today. However, Health Minister Zuzana Dolinkova (Hlas-SD) chose to terminate the project of the new hospital with science departments and a campus, and instead will attempt to reconstruct the aging Ruzinov hospital.

According to former health minister and MP Marek Krajci, it was confirmed that the land plan in Ruzinov will need to be changed and a nearby ice-hockey stadium demolished for the Ruzinov hospital. "We all want the new university hospital to be completed at the earliest possible time. Razsochy, however, had a site to build on, a construction permit, environmental impact assessment and it was, in essence, a complete project. Construction works were slated to begin in a short time," he underlined and warned that the reconstruction of the Ruzinov hospital is to be carried out during the hospital's full operation.

Earlier on Wednesday, the government, headed by Smer-SD, greenlighted the construction of the new national hospital in the Ruzinov location. Slated to have 1,015 beds, the reconstruction works are estimated to be completed by the end of 2032. In lieu of the new hospital, the state intends to construct the Childrens' Illnesses National Institute in the Razsochy area with 446 beds.

Source: TASR