British News Agency

Construction of Croatia's long-planned New National Children's Hospital officially began with a groundbreaking ceremony.

Announcing the start of the project, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said the new facility represented a major step forward for Croatia's healthcare system, the capital Zagreb, and children. He stated, “We have 38 months of work ahead of us to build the hospital that Croatia, Zagreb, and our children deserve.”

Prime Minister Plenkovic said the project was a goal that had been discussed in the country for decades and expressed satisfaction that it was finally being implemented.

Plenkovic stated that the project, with a budget of 240 million euros, would receive 90 percent of its financing from the European Union (EU) Regional Development Fund. He explained that the modern hospital, scheduled for completion within 38 months, was intended to provide comprehensive healthcare services to approximately 300,000 children in the region from a single center.

In his post, Prime Minister Plenkovic announced that the facility would have a capacity of approximately 200 beds, nearly 100 day-care beds, and state-of-the-art medical equipment. He explained that the project would prioritize environmentally friendly and modern healthcare infrastructure standards, with the building meeting 80 percent of its energy needs from renewable sources such as solar and geothermal energy. Plenkovic stated that this feature would make it Croatia's first carbon-neutral public building.

Plenkovic noted that more than 3.4 billion euros had been invested in healthcare infrastructure nationwide to date and said hospitals had been renovated to meet high earthquake-resistance standards following the devastating earthquake in Zagreb. He added that infrastructure projects were continuing in Rijeka, Pula, Bjelovar, and Osijek, and that an agreement had also been reached on the construction of a new Clinical Hospital Center (KBC) in Split.

Plenkovic thanked Health Minister Irena Hrstic for her contributions to the implementation of the project and emphasized that strategic investments in healthcare and education would continue to be delivered for the benefit of citizens.