New Milan Rastislav Stefanik National Hospital to Be Built in Bratislava

Bratislava, April 29 (TASR) - A new Milan Rastislav Stefanik National Hospital is set to be built in Bratislava's borough of Vajnory on Defence Ministry land, with €200 million from the recovery plan allocated for the project, which is expected to begin construction this year, according to Voice-SD leader and Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok and Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD), who will present the proposal at Wednesday's (April 30) off-site government meeting in Mala Lehota (Banska Bystrica region). According to the health minister, the new hospital will provide care at the highest, fifth level. It will have 950 beds, including 850 standard and 150 intensive care beds. It is expected to serve over 44,000 hospitalised patients annually, across approximately 150 outpatient clinics and fully equipped diagnostic departments, he explained. "This hospital will offer a complete medical profile, including education and research. It will be built on land that allows not only for the construction of the hospital, but also for the broader vision for health care in Bratislava," he said. According to the minister, the site where the hospital is to be built is large enough to accommodate educational institutions, particularly the Faculty of Medicine of Comenius University. He also wants the National Institute of Children's Diseases to be relocated to the same complex. "So that all patients who need health care can be treated together in one place," Sasko noted. The minister added that it will also function as a university hospital, forming the foundation of education for future doctors, nurses, and health-care professionals. "It will be a top-quality facility for our scientists and researchers," he added. Sasko considers Vajnory an ideal location, highlighting its strategic position in eastern Bratislava, planned motorway expansion, and the absence of expropriation or legal hurdles. The 30-hectare site belongs to the Defence Ministry, which will handle construction, while the Health Ministry will oversee the medical planning. The minister stated that hospital construction will be funded through the recovery plan, 2 percent of defence spending, and a smaller share from the public budget, with talks ongoing for foreign partner support. He expects construction to begin in autumn, aiming for the hospital to open by 2030. As it's a project of national importance, the minister wants the opposition to be involved in the discussion about the hospital's construction. lin/mcs