11 companies are competing for the construction of a hospice in the Liberec Region

Liberec - Eleven companies are competing for the construction of a hospice in the Liberec region. Interest in the contract is high despite the fact that contractors will not have a full year to complete it. The construction should be finished by the end of this November. The project designers estimated the construction costs at 139.7 million crowns, including VAT. Bid prices, including tax, range from 93.9 million crowns to 117.9 million, said Marek Pieter (Mayors for the Liberec Region), the deputy governor for economics, to ČTK today.
    The reason for the short timeline given to the construction contractor is funding from the Integrated City Development Program (IPRM) - Attractive and Quality Life in Liberec. The funds must be drawn by the end of this year. "There is not much time, but when we took over the project from the previous management of the region, the project documentation was not even prepared," said Governor Martin Půta (Mayors) earlier. He only hopes that no participants will appeal against the results of the competition, as it could jeopardize the project. So far, according to Pieter, no one has challenged the tender procedure.
    The construction of a hospice has been discussed in the Liberec region for years; most parties and groups included its establishment in their electoral program during the last election period. The Liberec region is one of the few in the country that still lacks such a facility for terminally ill patients. Currently, patients and their families are served by home hospice care and special rooms in hospitals in Liberec, Turnov, and Česká Lípa, where the third such room will open next week.
    Although in 2003 the state promised 14 million crowns for the establishment of a hospice in Jablonec nad Nisou, the association for the hospice wanted to convert the former children's hospital at that time. However, the project ultimately fell through because the association could not secure additional funding. Later, there were considerations about converting the former treatment facility in Česká Lípa or building a new structure in Jablonec. Ultimately, the idea to convert the former children's home in Liberec into a hospice won out.
    The land and the historic building of the former orphanage from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, valued at 23 million crowns, were donated to the region by the city of Liberec. Originally, the hospice was supposed to open at the end of last year, but later the region managed to negotiate an extension of the deadline by one year. The study includes the reconstruction of the building and the completion of two wings, which will contain additional rooms. The hospice will have a capacity of 28 beds.