Construction of Yet Another Micro-regional Outpatient Healthcare Centre to Commence12 February 2010
A total of 481 billion HUF has been earmarked within the framework of the New Hungary Development Plan for healthcare developments over the 2007-2013 period. A new micro-regional healthcare centre will be constructed in the micro-region of Barcs by investing over 640 million HUF.
The development of healthcare centres undertaking micro-regional tasks has begun in several settlements over the past few months. The fundamental aim of these healthcare centres relates to ensuring access to suitable standard healthcare services for everyone, even in settlements where no such healthcare services were available earlier.
The micro-regional healthcare centre in Barcs is currently incapable of efficiency providing medical services in every area. The building, which was built back in 1966, is in a rundown state, has never been renewed and lacks handicap access facilities. Medical consulting rooms fail to meet minimum professional requirements and the infrastructural system is also in dire need of repair. Several specialists work in the same room, which in many cases puts a constraint on consulting hours, as well as the number of patients provided treatment in relation to demands. Building extensions and handicap access facilities to the building would be more expensive than building an entirely new facility due to the current structure and parameters of the buildings. The local government is unable to designate an alternative building in the settlement, which if transformed and renewed, would be suitable for accommodating an outpatient healthcare centre.
Patients waiting for surgery are re-directed to overloaded hospitals operating in another micro-region, which, due to their distance and need to travel, hinders the recovery of patients. It will be possible to perform quite a few surgical procedures within the framework of one-day surgical interventions at the centre envisaged in Barcs. Disadvantaged people only rarely consult medical experts on account of travel expenses and delays experienced in treatment.
A brand new 1,806.5-square-metre building will be constructed within the framework of a project implemented with the help of EU funding amounting to nearly 600 million HUF, where, beyond performing tasks and assuming functions identical to those provided in the current building, one-day surgery and medical care will also be introduced as new services. Full handicap access will be ensured to this new building, which includes a lift to help disabled persons get around.
The psychiatric care unit, laboratory, otolaryngology unit, internal medicine unit, surgery, X-ray room and ultra-sound room will be accommodated on the ground floor, whilst the gynaecology unit, pregnancy and prenatal care room, cardiology unit, ECG screening room, ophthalmology unit, finance unit, changing rooms and kitchen will be accommodated on the first floor. In view of how there is no hospital in this micro-region and the vast majority of the population lives over 20 kilometres away from the nearest hospital, surgical interventions which can be performed within the framework of one-day surgery will be introduced at this centre.
Energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly solutions were particularly prioritised when designing this new building. It will also be necessary to employ medical specialists and assistants to increase the staff size, transform this institution and introduce one-day surgery, as mentioned above; therefore, this project equally creates new jobs.