Hi-tech children’s hospital opens

The building, which is located at ul. Żwirki i Wigury 63A, replaces the former paediatric hospital on ul. Działdowska. Units of the hospital on ul. Marszałkowska are also to be moved over to the new building by the end of the year. Work on the project began in 2007. The new facility has 535 beds, including 453 paediatric, 37 neonatology and 45 maternity beds – an increase of 156 beds compared to the facilities on ul. Marszałkowska and ul. Działdowska. The costs for the construction and equipment came to PLN 552 mln, PLN 550.8 mln provided by state funds. The hospital has eight floors as well as a multi-level underground car park for almost 400 vehicles and a ground-level car park with 34 spaces. The total area of the buildings exceeds 97,000 sqm with a useable area is 42,500 sqm. The complex consists of three buildings connected by a glass passageway with a combined cubic volume of 406 cubic metres. It also has a landing pad on the roof for the Emergency Air Ambulance Service. The architectural and land development concept as well as the construction and detailed designs were created by the Open Architekci architectural studio, which was chosen in a competition, while the general contractor was a consortium led by Warbud and including Imtech Polska and Qumak. The construction work started in H2 2011. It will eventually comprise 28 units with three functions: the treatment of young patients, medical research and the training of new staff. The newly-created units will become operative on January 1st and will include an obstetrics and perinatology clinic and a neonatology clinic. The new hospital forms part of the Banacha Campus of the Medical University of Warsaw. It also has a paediatric emergency ward (the first on the left-bank of Warsaw) well as a traumatology and neurotraumatology clinic with a paediatric ophthalmology unit.

Robert Krawczyk, the director of the hospital, says that about 100 children have been treated in the new facility and more than 200 consultations made over the first few days. “Three years ago, on January 10th 2012, we laid the foundation stone. This was the beginning of a new era in the history of the hospital, which has treated the youngest patients for over 100 years and an important date for the Medical University of Warsaw, but is also a milestone for Polish paediatrics, children and their parents and guardians. The dreams of the academic community of the Medical University of Warsaw for the development of a 21st century hospital for children have today come true,” commented Prof. Marek Krawczyk, the vice-chancellor of the Medical University of Warsaw, during the opening ceremony.