EIB helps Finnish hospital modernise its facilities with EUR 72.5 million

Some of Vaasa’s hospital buildings date back to 1904 and are currently scattered over an immense campus

On 27 October, the European Investment Bank (EIB) announced that it has signed an agreement with Finland’s Vaasa Hospital District for a loan worth EUR 72.5 million. Under this agreement, the EIB will help finance the extension of the Central Hospital in Vaasa – more specifically, the construction of the H-Building.

According to a press release, the loan will be put towards the centralisation of the hospital’s current facilities, ensuring that all services are integrated on a single site. At the moment, the central hospital consists of a main site and multiple buildings, some of which date back to 1904. What is more, the hospital’s buildings are scattered over a vast campus, with the psychiatric department being 4 kilometres away from the main site.

Commenting on the H-Building and EIB’s loan, the Director of the Vaasa Hospital District Marina Kinnunen shared: “The main purpose of our new hospital building is to enable integrated services between specialised and primary healthcare, as well as social services. To finance this, the EIB makes it possible to get a loan with good conditions and a maturity that suits our plans for economic sustainability.”

The design plan for the H-Building (Source: EIB)

A modern building

Vaasa’s H-Building will be a modern extension of the central hospital building. The new wing will provide innovative facilities for both the medical staff and patients. What is more, it will increase the overall efficiency of the district in several ways, including energy performance.

Covering an area of 37,000 square metres, the H-Building will have 10 floors and additional technical space. Of these 10 floors, 3 will be set aside for outpatient services and 5 will house wards for the hospital’s somatic and psychiatric departments. Beyond this, the building will also contain a pharmacy, café and restaurant.

EIB Vice-President Thomas Östros expressed his delight with the loan agreement, noting that the current COVID crisis proves that investments in healthcare services are money well spent.