BGN 100 million is initially allocated for the construction of the National Children's Hospital. This was stated by the acting ministers of finance and health Ludmila Petkova and Galya Kondeva during a briefing in the Council of Ministers in connection with the project to build the National Children's Hospital, reported a reporter of "Focus".
"BGN 100 million has been provided from the state budget, which is the first funding for clearing the terrain, for design and other activities. An agreement has been concluded with the European Investment Park for the implementation of consulting services. The services will be provided by a Belgian consortium selected by the European Investment Bank, which will prepare three strategic documents regarding the structure, functions and necessary equipment and furnishings of the hospital," Petkova said.
September is expected to start the design process by selecting a public procurement contractor for the project. Construction of the hospital should start next year.
"The necessary funds for the construction of the National Children's Hospital will be provided for in the budget for 2025, as well as in the medium-term budget forecast. They will include the funds that are necessary for the construction of the hospital, as well as for the furniture and equipment," explained the finance minister.
The official health minister said that the government will work to speed up the process of building the hospital. According to her, it should be ready by May 2028, with the deadline being shortened by 9 months compared to the original one.
Regarding Acting Prime Minister Glavchev's statement earlier today that the site clearing contractor was late with the activities, Kondeva said there were technical problems, but they have now been overcome. However, the structure of the hospital is yet to be determined.
"We are working hard to reduce all deadlines. This requires a lot of work and more capacity. The most optimistic option was four years from the start of the initial construction activities, with the current updated plan, we shorten this period by nine months, indicated the executive director of the "Children's Hospital Health Investment Company" Dr. Vlatko Gligorov.
In his words, this is the most optimistic option. "The idea is not to close medical facilities, but to transform them to increase capacity and accessibility," he added.