Lienz hospital rebuild to receive 300 million euros

ORF reports that 300 million euros will be invested in the phased redevelopment of the district hospital in Lienz, with the work scheduled for completion in 2042.

The plans were presented on Thursday, when an agreement was signed with the state of Tyrol to safeguard the hospital’s future. The project is intended to make the Lienz hospital Austria’s most modern district hospital.

A completely new wing with operating rooms, inpatient wards, a reception area and a helicopter landing pad is due to be built within two years. Existing buildings will then be demolished and replaced in stages, according to architect Konrad Messner.

Messner said the hospital needed to be redesigned as a whole, including its internal processes, rather than having individual sections considered separately.

Financing is expected to come partly from the Tyrolean Health Fund, which is to provide 45 percent. The project will also draw on the Municipal Equalisation Fund and use a building-rights model to be put out to tender.

Tyrol Governor Anton Mattle of the Austrian People’s Party also wants the state of Carinthia to contribute, as 30 percent of patients at the Lienz hospital come from Upper Carinthia.

Tyrol’s responsible councillor, Cornelia Hagele of the Austrian People’s Party, said she was not concerned about staffing the future hospital. More than 2,600 people are currently training in nursing in Tyrol, she said.