Roof damage in Štip will cost several million denars; audits for the new hospital complex due in two months

The reconstruction of the roof that was partially blown away during the severe storm and hurricane‑force winds in Shtip will cost "several million denars", while the completion and equipping of the new hospital complex is entering a revision phase, said today the Minister of Health Sasho Klekovski and the director of the Health Insurance Fund Zlatko Perinski after a working visit to the Clinical Hospital in Shtip.

Audit, international tender and selection of a contractor

Klekovski, Perinski, Mayor Ivan Jordanov and hospital representatives held talks with a World Bank delegation on continuing the construction of the new complex, whose planned investment amounts to nearly 6.7 billion denars, or about 109 million euros.

Technical and financial analyses, possible financing models, preparation of project documentation and mechanisms for controlling quality, costs and deadlines were reviewed with the interlocutors. The audit of the current situation should be completed within two months, after which an international tender for finishing the complex will follow, and an additional three months are foreseen for selecting a contractor and signing the contract.

"We expect the audits of the existing situation to be ready in two months, which will serve as the basis for announcing an international tender for completion. Let us allow three months for selecting the supplier and signing the contract. We will work with companies with an international reputation and the capacity to finish the job. Now we also have some experience with the reconstructions of the operating blocks at '8 September' and at the Clinical Center, which are the most sensitive and most expensive part of this undertaking, so I think we can make wise decisions so there are no problems like those that occurred in the previous period with the execution of the works," Klekovski said.

According to the minister, the financial implementation of the project so far amounts to about 30 percent: mainly the cheaper construction and craft works have been completed, while the more expensive mechanical works, the operating block and the procurement of equipment are yet to be implemented. In the first phase the completion of the operating block and the installation of medical equipment remain, and the second phase will cover interventions on the old hospital buildings.

In parallel with the plans for the new complex, the hospital will have to repair the roof that was damaged and partially blown away in the storm, during which winds reached 134 kilometers per hour. The deputy director of the Clinical Hospital, Biljana Eftimova, said the initial estimate is "in denars, several million" and that they are awaiting a report from the insurance company and an additional assessment.

"Thus far, the initial estimate is in denars, several million. But we are waiting for a report from the insurance company and one more assessment, because after the first act of the storm, of course other parts and works that need to be reconstructed also appear. This concerns the roof of the third floor, where the Orthopedic Department and the orthopedic operating theatre are located, as well as the Intensive Care Unit and the Coma Center. They were damaged because they were left without a roof," Eftimova said.

Klekovski added that the Ministry is monitoring the situation and that money had already been allocated in the hospital budget for reconstruction; after determining the full damage the funds will be approved so that the works are finished on time and the Orthopedic Department can be put back into operation.

On the question of hiring specialists, the minister said the call will be updated because some of the candidates have already found employment in other institutions. He emphasized that clinical centers and hospitals outside Skopje will have absolute priority in staff allocation, and the exact number will be determined after an analysis of needs and the interest of the specialists-in-training.

"We will do everything we can to increase the number of specialists in Shtip. And not only in Shtip, generally in all General and Clinical hospitals. So, we need to renew the interest of the specialists-in-training, see what is missing here, match the trainees with the needs and then establish the exact number," Klekovski said.

The Clinical Hospital in Shtip is the only regional clinical center in the eastern part of the country and provides health services to nearly 150,000 citizens, while its wider catchment area covers about 250,000 residents.

Photo: MIA