Hospital patients in the greater Helsinki region will from 2014 be received in significantly modernised, extended and better equipped facilities thanks to an investment programme partly financed by the European Investment Bank (EIB).
The EIB will provide up to EUR 200 m to the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS), under an agreement signed today in Helsinki. Covering a resident population of 1.5 million, HUS has 20 hospitals with more than 3,000 beds and is Finland’s largest hospital district. In some areas, HUS provides specialised medical care for the entire country.
The project will help finance the hospital district’s 2010-2013 investment programme, more than two-thirds of which will be carried out at Helsinki Central University Hospital. It consists of renovating and enlarging existing facilities and purchasing and installing advanced medical and other equipment. The total project cost is estimated at EUR 415 m.
“We are pleased to support this project which, by updating a key medical facility, will raise overall healthcare standards in the region and also provide a better environment for clinical research as well as saving energy,” said Wilhelm Molterer, EIB Vice-President responsible for Finland, at the signing ceremony.
Background notes:
The mission of the EIB, the European Union’s bank, is to contribute to the integration, balanced development and economic and social cohesion of the EU Member States by financing sound investments. The European Investment Bank is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, whose shareholders are the 27 Member States. This loan is one of many supporting the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and its four priorities: sustainable environment; regional prosperity; increased accessibility and attractiveness; safety and security.
The Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS) is owned by 26 municipalities in the greater Helsinki region led by Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa. It has more than 20,000 employees and provides health care for over 25 percent of the Finnish population.