The Fundeni Clinical Institute in Bucharest will have a new building built from scratch. The Ministry of Health announced at a public hearing the draft Government Resolution on approval of technical and economic indicators of the investment goal “Relocation, development and construction of the new medical complex “Fundeni Clinical Institute”.

The healthcare sector in Romania is based on an infrastructure designed and built in the last century

The healthcare sector in Romania is based on an infrastructure designed and built in the last century, “most hospitals live longer than 50-60 years, they operate in outdated buildings that do not efficiently integrate the medical services and schemes necessary for their good work. Adaptation of the existing infrastructure to the needs of modern medical care is often impossible or much more expensive than the construction of new buildings or extensions to strengthen the activities of existing hospitals,” says the explanatory note to the draft Government resolution.

According to European standards, a substantial replacement of the treatment building is recommended after 30-50 years of operation, the document also states.

What is provided by the draft Government Resolution, published in the Transparency of Decisions:

• Article 1. Technical and economic indicators of the investment target have been approved. “Transfer, development and construction of the new medical complex “Fundeni Clinical Institute” provided for in the annex, which is an integral part of this decision.

• Article 2. Financing of the investment goal provided for in Art. 1 from non-refundable external funds through the Health Operational Program, Priority 7 “Measures supporting the fields of oncology and transplantology”, Political objective 4 “A more social and inclusive Europe through the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights”, Specific Objective RSO4.5. “Ensuring equal access to medical care and ensuring the sustainability of health care systems, including primary health care, as well as facilitating the transition from institutional care to family or community care (EFRD), from the state budget through the budget to the Ministry of Health” within the limits of the annually approved volumes for this purpose, as well as from other legally prescribed sources in accordance with state investment programs approved in accordance with the law.

Why does the Fundeni Institute need a new building?

What is said in the justification of the project of the GD:

• The Clinical Institute of Fundéni (ICF), a health unit subordinate to the Ministry, according to Annex 2 to Government Decree No. 144/2010 on the organization and activities of the Ministry of Health, as amended, was founded in 1959 and represents is one of the most important medical units in Romania for severe gastrointestinal, digestive, hepatic, urological, renal, hematological, neurological, pediatric, radiological pathology. It is the only institute in Romania where three types of transplantation (liver, kidney and bone marrow) are performed through three centers of excellence: Center for Diseases of Digestive Organs and Liver Transplantation, Center for Uronephrology and Kidney Transplantation, Center for Bone Marrow Transplantation.

• The healthcare sector in Romania is based on an infrastructure designed and built in the last century, most hospitals live longer than 50-60 years, their activities are carried out in outdated buildings that do not efficiently integrate the necessary medical services and schemes for their good development. Adapting the current infrastructure to the needs of modern health services is often impossible or much more expensive than the construction of new buildings or expansions to strengthen the operations of existing hospitals.

• In accordance with European standards, a substantial replacement of the medical building is recommended after 30-50 years of operation.

• In addition, the rapid development of technologies in the field of medicine, medical practices and implicitly the need to adapt existing norms (hospital design norms, fire safety norms or sanitary norms) to these new trends require the construction of compact, modular and flexible buildings. medical facilities for new expansions and equipping with the most modern equipment, in which the medical action is effective and adapted to the latest standards, and the patient receives treatment.

The main problems faced by the Fundeni Clinical Institute:

• High seismic risk – existing buildings are not operationally safe, creating seismic risk even in the event of a minor earthquake.

• A high degree of wear and tear – the age of the buildings, the wear and tear of the premises of all specialties or the complete absence of some leads to great difficulties in complying with hygiene and disinfection standards. The main problem facing the Fundeni Clinical Institute is the age of the building – more than 60 years of operation without sufficient capital investment. This did not allow and does not allow optimal implementation of in-hospital schemes, necessary evacuation routes and often creates difficulties in the implementation of new technologies necessary for the normal functioning of the Institute.

• Old infrastructure with inadequate flows. Impossibility of providing optimal functional chains for the prevention of specific infections – separation of medical flows is not ensured; standard places for patients are not provided, which violates the provisions of domestic and European standards for hospitals; no places are provided for movement and evacuation in case of need, etc. All these dysfunctions lead to an increase in waiting time and, implicitly, to a decrease in the number of people who could benefit from the medical services offered by IC Fundeni.

• Building A, which houses the departments of ATI, Neurology, Surgery, Urology, Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, Nephrology, the Radiology and Medical Imaging Laboratory and where three types of transplants are performed, shows a high degree of wear and tear: outdated installations (electricity, water, sewage) and deficiencies functional schemes (narrow evacuation stairs that do not meet current standards).

• The existing buildings (building A, built in 1957 and building B, built in 1975) cannot accommodate the medical facilities that will be provided in the new building.

• The main arguments that were the basis for the initiation of the construction project of the medical complex are:

• structural damage in the case of hospital buildings located in seismic zones;

• damage to installation networks (the average service life of installation networks in hospitals is 15-30 years);

• damage to the interior finish due to increased wear and tear in such premises;

• damage to equipment and deterioration of the epidemiological situation in the hospital (hospital infections become impossible to cure, and the microbial agents that cause them become more and more resistant to disinfectant solutions).

The goal of achieving this goal is the construction of a modern medical complex that will provide:

• improved treatment conditions: the new modern building will allow the Fundeni Clinical Institute to offer better treatment conditions for patients, modern operating rooms, intensive care units and rooms for multidisciplinary and transplant interventions. Adapted premises and state-of-the-art equipment will facilitate the performance of complex multidisciplinary medical procedures;

• increased treatment options: with the new and expanded building, the Fundeni Clinical Institute will increase its options for treating patients in the field of transplantation – multi-organ transplantation, bone marrow transplantation, cell therapy, etc.;

• improving the comfort and quality of life of patients: the new building will provide more comfortable and friendly conditions for patients. Light and spacious spaces, comfortable rooms and amenities for family recreation will help create an environment that will promote recovery and well-being of patients during treatment;

• development of research and innovation: the new building will provide the Fundeni Clinical Institute with adequate facilities for research and development of new treatments and therapies for multidisciplinary and transplant interventions. Modern laboratory spaces, developed IT infrastructure and international cooperation will promote progress and strengthen the institution’s position as a center of advanced research experience;

• the proper functioning of the administrative department will be improved, which will have sufficient space for conducting educational events without disturbing the routine of staff and patients;

• Employee Efficiency: The construction of the new building will provide modern and high-quality workplaces, ICF will also be able to attract and retain the best talent in various fields, more residents, medical staff, researchers and more. This improved work environment will lead to greater employee satisfaction and productivity, improving the quality of service delivery.