Sasko: Funds under Recovery Plan for Hospital Construction Not in Peril

Bratislava, 5 May (TASR) - Funds from the Recovery and Resilience Plan earmarked for constructing a military hospital in Presov are not in peril, Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD) told journalists in Parliament on Tuesday in response to claims that Slovakia could lose nearly €200 million due to the suspended construction of the hospital, insisting that the recovery plan milestones will be met. "The milestone refers to certain 'shell & core' beds and 'full fit out' beds, nothing more. These milestones will be met. So, if someone claims that €195 million is at risk, they either don't understand what's going on or are just intentionally lying and once again spreading the kind of atmosphere that we, as society, are all tired of. There's no €195 million in peril," stated Sasko. He admitted that the specific details regarding the hospital's construction aren't available to him, as the project is under restricted status. However, he believes that any questions will be answered by Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD). "The only thing I know is that, yes, there were some errors. The defence minister will definitely deal with it, and what I'm saying is that a delay of roughly a few months is the only thing that can happen, nothing more, nothing less," said Sasko, noting that Kalinak isn't responsible for the specific steps carried out by the contractor. "He's there to deal with the situation when an error occurs. That's what is happening now," added Sasko. The Defence Ministry signed a contract last autumn for developing and modernising the university hospital with polyclinic in Presov worth €447.8 million excluding VAT. The contractor is a consortium represented by Bekor. The new hospital is planned as a top-tier medical facility with 1,009 beds, expandable to 1,200, and it's scheduled for completion by 2027 as a strategic investment. The Defence Ministry suspended construction of the military hospital last week due to concerns over the quality of work on key structural elements. Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) admitted that the completion deadline may be delayed. The opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party is afraid that Slovakia could lose nearly €200 million from its Recovery and Resilience Plan earmarked for constructing the Presov hospital. Party representatives have called on the relevant ministers to explain their plans to prevent the loss of €195 million. In its response, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for the Recovery Plan and a Knowledge-based Economy described the statements made by PS as misleading, stating that the changes in the project have no impact on the availability of such funding. jrg/df