The Minister of Investments and European Projects, Marcel Boloş, states, after the Government adopted the emergency ordinance that regulates the implementation of public health infrastructure projects with financing from non-refundable external funds within the Health Program 2021-2027 and from loans contracted with International Financial Institutions, that in 2027 there will be new hospitals in every corner of the country.
“Although it sounds brutal, the reality is that the transformation of the Romanian health system is slow, discontinuous and fragmented, and this puts us in the position of being among the EU states with the highest number of deaths that could have been avoided. When I came to MIPE, the hospital infrastructure was not in the 2021-2027 Health Program, even though we are in a situation where several public hospitals are in an advanced stage of wear and tear, and too few hospitals have been built in the last 25 years public, let alone large-scale public hospitals. Now, we know for sure that in 2027 we will have new hospitals in every corner of the country. In the logic of the measures to obtain results in the field of health, today’s ordinance establishes the necessary measures for the implementation of hospital infrastructure projects that will be financed from European funds. We are talking about some of the most anticipated investments, which will ensure access to quality medical services for millions of Romanians”, said Marcel Boloş, quoted in a press release sent on Thursday by the Ministry of European Investments and Projects.
He added that it is a first that opens the prospects for future strategic investments in infrastructure, once it became possible to combine financing from non-refundable external funds with the EIB loan.
“The two priorities in the Health Program referred to in the ordinance adopted today mean at least 7 large hospitals (county, monospeciality or transplant centers) newly built and equipped and another 20 municipal and city public hospitals built or rehabilitated and equipped. By the end of the year, the financing contracts for all these hospitals will be concluded, so that we have enough time to carry out the specific procedures for investments of such importance and scope”, explained Boloş.
Financing of up to 500 million euros for a new hospital
The normative act establishes the general framework regarding the methodology and selection criteria for public investment projects in the field of health, which are approved by the Health Program Monitoring Committee, upon the proposal of the Management Authority for the Health Program based on the framework criteria established in the ordinance.
The eligible amount financed from the Health Program for investments in new hospital infrastructures – county/county emergency hospitals; monospeciality hospitals – health units with beds is a minimum of 5 million euros and a maximum of 500 million euros and includes expansion/modernization/rehabilitation works for buildings, including connection/extension/modernization/rehabilitation works to existing buildings and equipping with equipment specific medical, including green transition measures and digitization, new construction works, including the provision of specific medical equipment including green transition measures and digitization.
For small-scale investments in the public infrastructure of city and municipal hospitals – sanitary units with beds, the eligible value is established by specific investment categories:
– modernization/rehabilitation and equipment works, extension to existing constructions, including connection works to existing buildings, new construction works and equipment, minimum 5 million euros and maximum 75 million euros for sanitary units with municipal beds;
– modernization/rehabilitation and equipment works, extension to existing constructions, including connection works to existing buildings, new construction works and equipment, minimum 5 million euros and maximum 45 million euros for sanitary units with city beds.
According to MIPE, in order to ensure the continuity of project implementation, the total allocation of projects can be updated as a result of the increase in the prices of materials and/or public utilities, if the law so provides, or increased within the limit of a maximum percentage of 20%.
In addition, the beneficiaries of projects with financing from non-reimbursable external funds, as well as loans contracted with International Financial Institutions, will be obliged to ensure possible maintenance and current repairs after the completion of their implementation for a period of at least 5 years.
“We have established transparent criteria for the selection of projects that will be financed by these funds, the eligible amount for each project category, the eligible applicants, the rules for contracting reimbursable financial assistance and the beneficiaries’ own contribution. With the regulations adopted today, we can say that we are entering the straight line towards the realization of these investments of almost 2 billion euros in Romanian hospitals”, said Boloş, according to News.ro.
Eligible applicants within the project selection calls for investments in hospital infrastructure are administrative-territorial units, county/county emergency hospitals, including county emergency clinics/emergency clinics, monospeciality hospitals, city and municipal public hospitals, including municipal hospitals of emergency and partnerships between local and/or central public authorities/institutions and health units.
The lists of projects selected for financing through the Health Program by the Ministry of Investments and European Projects are approved by Decision of the Government of Romania, after the completion of the contracting process.
Currently, the Applicant’s Guide for the call for projects “Investments in the public infrastructure of city and municipal hospitals” and the Applicant’s Guide for the call for projects “Investments in new hospital infrastructures: county hospitals, county emergency hospitals, monospeciality hospitals” are being consulted, the calls to be opened in the third quarter of 2023. There are calls worth 2 billion euros in order to finance the health infrastructure.
Over 8 billion euros for health
The Health Program, approved at the end of November by the European Commission, is a multi-fund program that has a total allocation of 5.8 billion euros, which includes financing from the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund, as well as a component of a loan of 2 billion euros, made through the European Investment Bank.
Separately from the Cohesion Policy, through Component 12 dedicated to health, through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, 2.45 billion euros will be allocated for:
– Capacity development for the management of public funds in health (70 million euros)
– Developing the capacity to make investments in health (30 million euros)
– Increasing the capacity for the management of health services and human resources (80 million euros)
– Investments in pre-hospital infrastructure (314 million euros);
– Infrastructure in the hospital infrastructure (1.9 billion euros).
Editor: Liviu Cojan
