Local non-profit Dăruiește Viață extended the partnership signed in 2015 with the Marie Curie Hospital in Bucharest, which allowed the construction of a brand-new children's hospital with funds collected exclusively from donations and sponsorships. The new agreement creates the legal framework for further expansion with a second building and, later on, the development of the first pediatric campus in Romania.

The first new hospital building started treating the first patients in April 2024. It was built with an investment of EUR 53 million backed by more than 350,000 donors and 8,000 companies under the NGO's #NoiFacemUnSpital (We'reBuildingAHospital) initiative.

As part of the next step, Dăruiește Viață has so far realized the masterplan for the second building, which is estimated to have an area of 28,000 sqm. Moving forward, the team must complete the project's functional schemes, which are necessary to obtain the technical approvals and construction permit.

The development of the first Pediatric Medical Campus in Romania at the Marie Curie Hospital involves the integration in a single location, namely the M.S. Curie Emergency Clinical Hospital for Children, of state-of-the-art facilities for the diagnosis and treatment of children along with medical research centers, modern laboratories, rooms for the training of medical staff, spaces dedicated to students and residents, as well as spaces for patients and their families.

"It is important to continue our dream of having the best medical services for children in Romania at the Marie Curie Hospital. It is a dream shared not only by the 350,000 donors who have supported us but also by all parents who, in one way or another, worry about their children. It is important that we continue to work together and that the state gives support for the fulfillment of this desire of the people," said Carmen Uscatu, co-founder of Dăruiește Viață.

"This partnership agreement allows us to start construction work on the second building, which will ensure the expansion and modernization of the Marie Curie Hospital," added co-founder Oana Gheorghiu. 

Initially planned as a three-story clinic, the first building of the NGO's #NoiFacemUnSpital initiative turned into a hospital with an area of 12,000 sqm, nine levels, and 140+ beds. The construction started in June 2018, and in November 2023, the first building, the thermal plant, and an ozonation station were completed. Since April 16, 2024, the hospital has been treating children aged between 0 and 18 who were relocated from the oncology, neurosurgery, surgery, and ATI departments of the current Marie Curie Hospital. 

The project brought numerous firsts for the Romanian healthcare system, such as the first Department of Pediatric Radiotherapy in a public children's hospital, the first operating room built entirely of glass to reduce the risk of nosocomial infections, individual ATI rooms, rooms with two beds, with beds for parents and private bathrooms, spaces dedicated to children (playgrounds, cinema, radio studio, astronomical observatory, sports and recovery rooms), and spaces for parents and the medical staff.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Dăruiește Viață)