site.btaGovernment Reaffirms Commitment to Building National Children's Hospital

The construction of a national children's hospital in Sofia remains a government priority despite the current legal deadlock, Health Minister Katya Ivkova told reporters on Friday. She said that the funding for the design of the future hospital, amounting to more than EUR 46 million, is included in the budget of the Health Investment Company for Children's Hospital. According to Ivkova, no funds need to be allocated this year for the construction phase.

"Under no circumstances is the government abandoning the construction of the children's hospital, and that is why we will regain control over the process," the minister vowed.

"You know what a legal deadlock this project is currently in," she said, recalling that the procedure for the design and author supervision of the hospital was announced in March and was subsequently challenged. The procedure is currently suspended because the matter is before the court.

"Because of this series of developments, there is no need to provide additional funding this year. It is likely that an updated budget forecast will begin to be prepared towards the end of August, in which funding will be projected," Ivkova added. "There is no risk of a lack of funds for the construction of the hospital. At present, we are not at the construction stage," she said.

"The Health Investment Company was established in July 2020, and after six years we can see what the result has been. As a ministry, because we currently have no legal control over the tender procedure itself, we will set out steps to naturally return this control to the Health Ministry. This will allow me, when I am accountable to the public, to explain what steps the Health Ministry is actually taking to reach the goal of building a children's hospital," Ivkova said.