Sasko: Construction of Above-ground Part of National Hospital Be Checked by UHP

(STVR, 'O 5 minut 12', May 25) Construction of the above-ground part of the national hospital in Bratislava's borough of Vajnory will be checked by the Finance Ministry's Value for Money Section (UHP), Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD) said on STVR's discussion programme 'O 5 minut 12' (Five Minutes to Twelve) on Sunday, declaring that it will be a transparent procedure. Meanwhile, opposition MP Tomas Szalay (Freedom and Solidarity/SaS), also on the show, thinks that the hospital's construction will be non-transparent. This is the reason why it can be built quickly, he said. Szalay pointed out that the hospital's construction will exceed one electoral term. Therefore, he criticised the government for failure to discuss the issue with anyone before deciding on the construction site. He also sees the hospital's financing as problematic. Szalay believes that the government should also seek external resources of its financing, such as EU funds or the European Investment Bank (EIB). Sasko concurred that the money from EU funds or the EIB should be used in the health sector to higher extent. He criticized Szalay for not having acted like that in connection with the new hospital's construction in the previous government, whose part was SaS. The minister admitted that various complications may occur during the construction, however, it's necessary to proceed in a systematic manner. He declared that any potential problems would be resolved. Szalay reminded the minister of the fact that it's still unknown how the new hospital will change the functioning of health-care facilities in Bratislava region. The minister reacted by saying that the preparation of the medical plan for Bratislava is fully underway and that it will be presented by the end of June. "You know it very well that all who have something to say on it are meeting on a regular basis and working intensively on this plan," he told the MP. Szalay argued that the Bratislava regional authority isn't a participant in this debate. ko