Sasko: Additional €12 Million Earmarked for New Equipment in Poprad Hospital

Poprad, 27 October (TASR) - The complete reconstruction of the hospital in Poprad (Presov region), worth approximately 42 million euros, is progressing according to schedule, Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD) confirmed after inspecting the construction site on Monday, adding that construction work is 70 percent complete. According to him, an additional €12 million from Slovakia's Recovery and Resilience Plan has been allocated for new medical equipment. "Every time I come here, I can see visible progress, and it all seems that this important supra-regional hospital with a catchment area for more than 100,000 residents will be completed on schedule," said Sasko. He thanked the entire hospital staff for their patience and cooperation, as the reconstruction is being carried out while the hospital remains fully operational. With winter drawing near, the boiler room is already functional. Inpatient wards on the first to fourth floor have been completed, with the fifth and the seventh floor still being reconstructed. The eighth and ninth floors are fully operational, while the so-far unused tenth floor will soon be opened to serve as gynaecology and obstetrics department. "After all stages are completed, Poprad will have a total of 368 beds available, of which 349 upgraded and 19 completely new. The inpatient, diagnostic and technological infrastructure will be fully renewed. We struggled with certain problems because the building is old, but I believe we are successfully fulfilling the work," added Sasko. Hospital director Stanislav Kandrik welcomed the additional €12 million for new medical equipment. He noted that, for Poprad, this is the fourth approved project from the Recovery and Resilience Plan, with the first three being the refurbishment of the geriatrics unit, the complete hospital reconstruction and the pathology department renewal project, which has been approved recently. "We feel strong support from both people and institutions. Thanks to the new medical equipment, we will once again raise the level of healthcare provided," said Kandrik, expressing his belief that the reconstruction work will not be disrupted and that everything will be completed on schedule within eight months. jrg