The children's ward at the "Prof. Dr. Paraskev Stoyanov" Multi-Profile Hospital in Lovech has been temporarily closed since April 18 due to a serious accident and urgent repairs. The ward is expected to resume work on May 7, the executive director of the medical institution, Viktor Taslakov, told BTA.
"There is a serious leak in the steam installation, which needs to be fixed. With capital expenses from the ministry, we are replacing the hospital's boilers with new ones, which will reduce natural gas costs by 15-20 percent. Since the installation itself needs to be drained when replacing the boilers, we are taking advantage of the opportunity to fix all the accidents. Over the past three months, the leaks in the system and the loss of drinking water have been large. "The bill we pay has increased by 50 percent," explained Taslakov.
According to the information, while the renovation is ongoing, patients are being redirected to the Infectious Diseases Department of the same hospital or to medical institutions in Troyan and Pleven.
In addition to the Children's Department, the Neonatology and Ophthalmology Departments have also temporarily suspended their activities. The Maternity Department continues to operate, but has been moved to the "Gynecology" section.
"Orthopedics is ready to work, we are waiting for the Health Insurance Fund to authorize the conclusion of a contract for the medical pathways," added the executive director.
Taslakov also commented on the change in the amount of the user fee from April 16, from 5.60 leva to one leva per day of stay in the hospital.
"This will also reduce the small revenues we have. The financial burden will be on us, but it will not affect the quality of the patients," said Viktor Taslakov.