Riga Eastern Clinical University Hospital (RAKUS) is at risk of losing EUR 90 million of the money provided by European Union (EU) Recovery Plan money for the construction of a new Infection Hospital, as reported by LTV programme “Panorāma”.
LTV reports that no construction company has applied for participation in the tender for the construction of a new Infection Hospital.
The Ministry of Health has given RAKUS three days to resolve the situation.
The head of the Project Management Office of the hospital Emīls Pūlmanis reported that there were originally four contenders in the tender. “Unfortunately, none of them had submitted technical solutions in the second stage of the tender,” said Pūlmanis.
The hope of using the nearly EUR 100 million of promised funding fades with each passing day, because the hospital needs to be constructed by mid-2026. The new hospital is planned to be located close to the helicopter landing site and Gaiļezers hospital. The plan is to relocate the Infectology, Tuberculosis and Lung Disease Centre to the new building. The original building was built 53 years ago and no repairs are performed there because the plan to build a new building has been known for some time.
“Our hospital does not have any wards with separate bathrooms. This says it all. Not to mention ventilation or the fact that floor and wall coverings are damaged,” said the Chief physician of the Centre for Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases Andra Cīrule.
“This is shameful! Yes! Perhaps we have gotten used to it and we’ve stopped noticing things. But we are ashamed,” admitted Cīrule.
LTV reported that the Ministry of Health is in shock because of the tender ending in nothing.
“Whether the hospital will remain unbuilt at all is a matter for debate. We expect proposals from the hospital for alternative scenarios. Financing is very limited due to the conditions of the Recovery Fund, as it has to be used by mid-2026,” said the deputy state secretary to the Ministry of Health Boriss Kņigins.
LTV noted that it is possible that the unrealistic construction terms were the main reason why none of the four construction companies submitted their projects. The board has until Friday to report to the ministry just how they plan to save the situation and use the funding of nearly EUR 100 million.
“The objective before the hospital is understanding why things happened the way they did. To ensure events do not repeat in the second tender. If we fail to find funding through other means, we could lose the funding entirely,” said the ministry’s representative.
The plan is for RAKUS to establish an infectology, tuberculosis and lung disease centre in the new building located on Hipokrāta Street 2.
The new building will have only single and double patient wards equipped with a wheelchair-accessible sanitary room. The architecture and technological solutions of the premises are based on international experience and research on the work processes of personnel in the departments. The premises will be equipped with modern equipment and technologies, promises RAKUS.
It is planned to commence construction of the new building in January 2025. The plan is to complete construction in 2026. The new building project was developed by the Finnish architectural company AW2 Architects Oy, which specializes in the design of medical institutions.
The agreement on the implementation of the project with the Central Finance and Contracting Agency provides for the financing from the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility – EUR 92 242 703.26.