PM: New children’s hospital will be built in Sofia

The building, intended for a children's hospital in Sofia, will be demolished and a new, specially designed one will be built in its place, Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said on May 27 after a meeting with representatives of protesters against the idea to complete an old unfinished building and use it for the National Multi-profile Children's Hospital.

The place for the pediatric clinic will be kept to ensure the access of specialists from the highly specialized medical institutions, which are in the close vicinity.

Prime Minister Borissov pointed out that he expects the representatives of the organizations in the course of the working procedures to provide him with their proposals and architectural solutions.

"I appreciate the work of the architects, because finding the common ground between engineering and architecture is a great talent and you know it," PM said.

During the meeting, representatives of various organizations thanked the Prime Minister and the government for the decision to provide a specialized hospital for young patients.

It was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev, Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov and Health Minister Kiril Ananiev.

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The meeting comes after a series of protests against the use of the old unfinished building for the purposes of a children’s hospital.

Early in April, parents, doctors, architects and citizens staged a protest outside the building of the Ministry of Health in Sofia, expressing disagreement with the idea that a construction abandoned decades ago should become a new national children's hospital.

The protesters insisted that the public procurement for completion of the old construction be cancelled. They explained that this old construction began 40 years ago and if finished it would not fit all the clinics in it as the space is not sufficient. Parents said they did not want any compromises with the construction of a new children’s hospital and it should provide every condition for the best treatment of the children.

The decision for finishing the abandoned construction and turning it into a new children’s hospital was made by the cabinet in 2018.