The unsightly concrete skeleton of the unfinished children's clinic situated in the yard of Alexandrovska Hospital in central Sofia will be demolished and a new building will be erected in the same place. This became clear last week after a meeting of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov with representatives of the civil initiative entitled "For a RealChildren's Hospital" uniting parents, architects and medical professionals and comes after long-lasting protests. However, the decision did not lead to a consensus - will there be, in the foreseeable future, a national children's hospital in Bulgaria with all necessary wards, a trained team and state-of-the-art equipment.

According to the initiative "For a real children's hospital", a modern new clinic can be built within a 4-year term - six months more than the estimated time for completion of the now existing unfinished concrete structure that has been abandoned for several decades.

"Our request does not include the demolition of this construction," comments architect Petkana Bakalova, member of the initiativeand deputy chairperson of the Chamber of Architects in Bulgaria. “The terrain of Alexandrovska Hospital is large enough to find an architectural solution that will meet the needs of the national pediatrics also without resorting to this construction. The prime minister closed the conversation focusing on the terrain of Alexandrovska Hospital, but this does not mean that other possible solutions would not turn out to be more successful. "

In the opinion ofEngineer Lazar Golev, designer of the unfinished construction, its demolition would be a gross mistake. The removal of hundreds of cubic metres of concrete and thousands of kilograms of steel will take at least 2 years, and the new building will be built from "almost the same concrete, according to the same regulations, without any difference," he claims. The head of the Clinic of Neurology in Pediatrics, Prof. Ivan Litvinenko, also spoke out against the recent decision.

"The only word I can say is “I’m sorry,'" he said. “We had the hope that this structure which has been brought to a significant point in its construction will be completed and we will enjoy a hospital that unites the various wards under one roof. Instead, we will continue to transport children by ambulancefrom one hospital to another, because the delay will last for years. I am not optimistic that I will live long enough to see this hospital."

The suspension of the order of the Minister of Health, according to which the new children’s hospital was to be built on the foundations of the old construction, is not met only with negative reactions. "The existing building was good for its time - now it can be used for other purposes, such as a business centre and not a hospital," said Engineer Metodi Andreev of the Chamber of Engineers in Investment Design. He believes that it would be best to find a new, easily accessible and communicative place for the children's clinic, as Alexandrovska Hospital has difficult access and an incinerator is located nearby.

"A multidisciplinary national pediatric hospital must be self-sufficient, i.e. to have absolutely everything necessary for the treatment of children”,Engineer Metodi Andreev believes. “This hospital must have its own specialized staff and equipment according to all modern requirements of medicine, and not rely on the neighbouring clinic. In this sense, the argument for the proximity of other clinics and hospitals is untenable."

Meanwhile, representatives of the civil initiative "For a real children's hospital, not a graveyard" gathered in front of the Council of Ministers to collect signatures for the announcement of a new public procurement and a new competition for the pediatric hospital. Despite the promises made by Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, the dissatisfied citizens also insist that the Bulgarian Parliament should rule on their demands. The protesters also demand the setting up of a Public Council to ensure transparency in the implementation of the project.

The idea to build a multidisciplinary university pediatric hospital has long been a burning topic for all those working in the field of children's health in this country, longtime pediatrician Dr. Jana Staneva told Radio Bulgaria.

Currently, Bulgaria continues to be the only European country without a National Pediatric Hospital.

English Rossitsa Petcova

Photos: BGNES