The development will bring a new building to the site, which will host its in-patient clinic, pharmacy and lab services and its department of pathology.

Tarmo Tohver, board chair at Ida-Viru Central Hospital said that: "Key services for us will are to be located in the building. One of these is the lab service. At present, the laboratory service is scattered across [the Ida-Viru County town of] Kohtla-Järve, causing delay to lab results," adding that this issue would be solved as a result.

Kaupo Kolsar, CEO of Astlanda Ehitus, contracted with the construction work, said that the project had come at a difficult time, arriving as it had both during the coronavirus pandemic and at a time of rising construction materials prices and supply issues.

He said: "In the meantime, we have had to take a break to mitigate the coronavirus risks. When an outbreak occurred in [Jõhvi suburb] Ahtme, we opted to stop work for two weeks and quarantine all those involved at the site, in order to prevent a wider and more prolonged spread."

The work constitutes a longer-range plan which started nearly a decade ago and has seen several new buildings erected. The existing G-building is set to be refurbished in addition to the new build, with the work planned to take two years.

Ida-Viru County Central Hospital is one of four central Estonian hospitals, and covers a 150,000-inhabitant catchment area.

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