BOLZANO. “The renovation of the Bolzano hospital is proceeding at a rapid pace. Work is currently being concentrated on the fourth to eighth floors, on the western side of the site.” During the visit to the construction site, Provincial Councilor Hubert Messner, representatives of the Department of Health and top executives of the South Tyrolean Health Authority were able to verify the progress of the work.
In terms of financial volume, the construction site of the Provincial Hospital of Bolzano is one of the largest in South Tyrol. Renovation work began in June 2023. The end of the first tranche of interventions, those involving the so-called west tower of the hospital wards, will be brought forward to summer 2025 compared to the planned deadline, i.e. the beginning of 2026.
Next, the east tower will be renovated, with the renovation scheduled for completion by the end of 2029. The renovation of the wards was necessary for several reasons. First, the standard had to be adapted to the requirements of a modern clinic. Instead of four-bed rooms with shared bathrooms, in the future there will only be single or double rooms with en-suite bathrooms. In addition, in accordance with new regulations issued in recent years, the building had to be adapted to fire and earthquake safety guidelines.
For example, the load-bearing pillars were reinforced with steel and carbon fiber. As a first step, the floors affected by the work were completely gutted. To enlarge the rooms, the facade was then moved outwards by 80 cm. The individual windows of the rooms were replaced by a completely glass facade. This is to give more light to the rooms. The incidence of light can be regulated through a sophisticated shading system.
Once the work is completed, the wing will house 120 rooms for a total of 250 beds. The costs for the entire renovation of the wards amount to approximately 93 million euros, net of VAT and the usual administrative expenses, which bring the total amount of the project to 134 million euros. 4% of the total amount will be financed by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). Another 8% of the expenditure, however, will be covered by the “Piano nazionale complementariare” (PNC).
The Autonomous Province of Bolzano provides the majority of the funding, reaching 88% of the final sum. Health Councillor Hubert Messner: “The Bolzano Hospital is a point of reference for the entire provincial territory and, in particular, the renovation of the hospital wards has been long-awaited. The implementation is very complex, considering that the renovation is taking place while all the services are operational, but we are very happy with how the work is progressing”.
2024-09-13 05:30:28