In Motola, a children's hospital has opened after renovations and completion

photo: www.helika.cz

Prague - Today, after renovations and an extension, one of the largest children's hospitals in Europe was ceremoniously opened at the Motol Hospital in Prague. The work lasted six years and cost 4.4 billion crowns. It was the most extensive construction project in healthcare in the last 15 years. The hospital has gained modern operating rooms, a new emergency intake, and a rooftop heliport. The ribbon was ceremonially cut by the hospital director Miloslav Ludvík along with the First Lady Livia Klausová.
    The children's hospital in Motol was built from 1964 to 1977. According to the director, it has been in a state of disrepair in recent years. Ludvík emphasized that the reconstruction and expansion were carried out while fully operational. He had previously described it as a world unique. "The hospital is a collection of all possible child specialists under one roof, with the difference that before they operated in a barn and today in the most state-of-the-art facilities," Ludvík stated.
    The construction work was divided into three phases. The last part, which has now been completed, cost 3.15 billion. A complex of modern operating rooms, emergency intake, and a new heliport on the roof has been created, which is expected to be operational from August 1. Pediatric patients now also have greater comfort. The rooms accommodate a maximum of two patients. Beds for parents are standard. Even with the reduction in the number of beds for patients, which is 350, the director believes the capacity is sufficient.
    The previous two phases included repairs of the energy center costing about 400 million crowns and the renovation of one wing of the massive pavilion at a cost of a billion. The director had previously claimed that, compared to the original plans from 2003, the cost did not increase. Most of the funding was provided by the state, with part of the sum coming from the hospital itself.
    According to the hospital management, about 650 million crowns are still needed for the complete completion to renovate another wing of the building.
    Ludvík stated that he is negotiating with the ministries of health and finance about whether money can be found in the state budget. If the children's hospital were to be completed, it is said that it would offer 450 to 470 beds. Ludvík said that then "some capacities elsewhere could be closed or not renovated", as the care for children in Prague and Central Bohemia would be adequately covered.
    Spokesman for the Ministry of Health Vlastimil Sršeň told ČTK that the Motol Hospital will not receive anything from the state budget this year or next, due to savings. "To complete the work, they must find savings from their own sources," he stated. The spokesman reminded that Motol is one of the teaching hospitals that has received the largest grants from the state to date.
    The children's pavilion is part of the Motol Teaching Hospital, which is the largest healthcare facility in the Czech Republic. It has over 2400 beds. Annually, more than 860,000 patients visit its outpatient departments, and 70,000 people are hospitalized. The hospital has more than 5,000 employees, of which 1,130 are doctors.