Consortium Vows to Complete Presov Hospital Project, Expelled One of its Members

Presov/Bratislava, 15 May (TASR) - The consortium of companies building the new hospital in Presov said it wants to ensure the completion of the project and declared its willingness to cooperate in a professional investigation into the current situation. Zsanett Szikszai of West Hungaria Epitoipari Szolgaltato told TASR that the consortium has also made an internal decision to exclude the company Bekor. Following the change, the consortium now consists of West Hungaria Bau Epitoipari Szolgaltato, Magyar Epito and Confector Mernokiroda. The companies jointly declared their determination to complete the project in line with the highest professional and quality standards. The consortium acknowledged the temporary suspension of construction work on the hospital due to an inspection of the quality of work carried out on the load-bearing structures of the building. However, it stressed that publicly presented conclusions had been made before the completion of the official expert assessment and were based on incomplete information. "To prepare a well-founded technical and legal opinion, it is essential that the client provide us with the relevant expert reports and documentation and allow us renewed access to the construction site," Szikszai said. According to her, the consortium members are ready to hold talks with the Defence Ministry, technical supervisors and all relevant expert teams. At the end of April, Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) announced that the Defence Ministry has suspended construction of the military hospital in Presov. The reason was an inspection of the quality of work on the load-bearing structures of the building. Last year, the Defence Ministry signed a contract worth €447.8 million excluding VAT for the development and modernisation of the Presov Faculty Hospital and Polyclinic. The contractor was a group of suppliers represented by Bekor. The new hospital is intended to serve as a top-tier healthcare facility with a total capacity of 1,009 beds and the possibility of full reprofiling to 1,200 beds. The works are expected to be completed by 2027. The project is being carried out as a strategic investment. mf