Construction work complete on new Tartu children's hospital and ear clinic
Construction work is complete on a new children's ward and ear clinic at the University of Tartu Hospital (Tartu Ülikooli Kliinikum). The new buildings will be ready to accept patients in the second half of the summer.
Built in the 1980s on Nikolai Lunini tänav, the run-down-looking Children's Clinic of the Tartu University Hospital has been waiting for a makeover for decades. Now, after almost three years of work, the new children's ward is now complete, reports ETV show "Aktuaalne kaamera."
Toomas Kivastik, project manager at the University of Tartu Hospital, said that both the quality of treatment and logistics will improve significantly as a result of the reconstruction work.
"There is more space for patients. Secondly, this building is exactly where it should be, right next to the maternity hospital. This means that the distances for newborns have to move have been kept as short as possible," said Kivastik.
The intensive care unit at the new hospital will be unique in Estonia. All the wards have single rooms and parents can stay with their babies even if they are in tertiary intensive care. The creation of a pediatric emergency department on the first floor is also set to change the quality of service for all emergency room patients.
"Entry to the emergency room will become much more private. Medical conversations will no longer take place in front of, or near, other patients, but they will all be in a separate private triage room. This applies to children as well as adults," said Kivastik.
During the reconstruction works, two buildings have been completed. Building C, which is also predominantly a children's ward is set to house the ear, nose and throat clinic as well as the reception area of the Women's Clinic's family center.
There will also be a day surgery center, with 10 operating theaters containing all the latest equipment.
"Considering that the old operating theaters are 50 years old, I would have to make a very long list to include all the things that will be improved," said Toomas Ellervee, head of surgery at the hospital.
"The (new) operating theaters are state-of-the-art, the lighting and air conditioning in the operating theaters are perfect. All of these things can be controlled according to our needs."
The construction of the two new hospital buildings cost a total of €60 million. Doctors will begin working there in the summer.
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Editor: Michael Cole
