Opposition: Health Committee Fails to Provide Answers to New Hospital Project

Bratislava, May 29 (TASR) - The House Health Committee did not provide answers regarding the construction of the new national hospital in Bratislava’s Vajnory borough, opposition MPs stated after the session on Thursday. The MPs pointed to the lack of an analysis, details on project financing, and a medical plan. Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD) and Defense Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) both claim they answered all questions clearly and that the project will indeed be completed. „We clearly stated how we plan to finance it,” said Sasko. He added that the analysis has already been completed, is extensive, and didn’t cost the ministry a cent. He has no problem making it public. The minister insists that the national hospital construction project is precisely mapped out. Currently, they are finalizing the preparation of the medical plan, which should be completed by the end of June. He added that the next phase will involve geodetic survey work and demolition during June. Excavation is expected to begin in September, and by the end of that month, they plan to present a small optimization plan for Bratislava’s healthcare system, including an analysis of the future of the Razsochy site. Sasko also stated that the state will assist in building infrastructure in Vajnory. Opposition MP Peter Stachura (KDH) claims that the government coalition is “making it up as they go” with the national hospital project. He criticized the absence of a medical plan and said the ministers gave no concrete information about financing. „Just imagine starting to build a house — or in this case, a national hospital, the largest project in Slovakia in years — and you don’t even have a basic plan for how to build it,” said Stachura. MP Marek Krajci from the 'Slovakia' party says a fundamental cost analysis is missing and argues that the Razsochy site is already prepared and would be cheaper overall. He also questioned who will be held accountable for the losses incurred when the Razsochy project was handed over, suggesting those losses should be factored into the current project. Opposition MP Oskar Dvorak (Progressive Slovakia) described Thursday’s committee session as a “visionary meeting of two ministers.” He feels that nothing new was said about the hospital project. „They gave us their vision but nothing concrete. When we asked specific questions, they were unable to answer — they just gave us political platitudes and vague talk,” Dvorak stated. He believes bulldozers will get to work on the site before all analyses are completed. MP Tomas Szalay (SaS) pointed to several hospital construction projects underway across Slovakia. „We don’t know where we’ll get the money, and we also lack enough builders and construction firms capable of handling such complex structures,” he said. Szalay also noted the absence of a medical plan but considers Vajnory a more accessible location than Razsochy. The new General Milan Rastislav Stefanik National University Hospital is to be built in Vajnory on land owned by the Ministry of Defense. The project is to be financed through the Recovery and Resilience Plan, two percent of defense spending, and to a lesser extent, from the public budget. Construction is scheduled to begin later this year. mf