Stachura: Opposition Wants Health Committee to Meet over New National Hospital

Bratislava, 22 May (TASR) - MPs for the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) along with other opposition lawmakers want a special session of the parliamentary health affairs committee to be convened over the issue of the new national hospital that should be built in Bratislava's borough of Vajnory, committee member Peter Stachura (KDH) told a news conference on Thursday. The group has invited Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD) and Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD), along with Bratislava University Hospital director Alexander Mayer and dean of Comenius University's Medical Faculty Juraj Payer to the committee session. The opposition is concerned about the transparency of the whole procedure. "We want answers to our questions as to how the transparency of the public procurement and tender will be ensured," said Stachura. At the same time, he demanded answers to the issue of the Razsochy hospital project. "We want to know what will happen with the Razsochy project," he added. The opposition also wants to know if the project [for the Vajnory national hospital] is realistic. "For now, completing such a big project by 2030 is actually a pipe dream," thinks Stachura, adding that no explanation has been given as to why Vajnory is the most appropriate location. He views the method of financing for the project as unclear as well. A new National University Hospital named after General Milan Rastislav Stefanik should be built on Defence Ministry land in Bratislava's borough of Vajnory. The hospital's construction should be financed from the recovery plan, 2 percent of defence spending and to a lesser extent from the state budget. The plan is to start the construction work as early as this year. ko/df