EIB provides EUR 40M loan for upgrading Pula hospital

The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development (HBOR) on Thursday signed a loan contract with EIB lending 40 million euros to finance the reconstruction and extension of the General Hospital in the Istrian city of Pula.

The project of reconstructing current buildings housing hospital wards and constructing new facilities is estimated at EUR 100 million. Apart from the EIB loan, the Croatian state will cover the costs of the project that is to be finalised by 2018.

“EIB funds will help consolidate the Pula hospital facilities at one location to correspond with modern standards for providing medical services and avoid current shortcomings and excessive maintenance costs,” EIB stated on its web site.

EIB Vice-President Dario Scannapieco said at a news conference after the contract-signing ceremony in Zagreb that “the EIB loan will contribute to the implementation of the Croatian Government’s priorities in the health sector. Higher quality and more effective health-care services will improve the living standards of residents in Istria and provide a valuable service to visiting tourists. This will help to increase the competitiveness of this region, attract qualified medical personnel and secure existing employment.”

Scannapieco recalls that EIB has been present in Croatia since 2011 and has so far approved 4.5 billion euros in loans in various fields.

[“source – dalje.com”]