Construction works on the new children's hospital built entirely through private donations and sponsorships in Bucharest have been completed, local NGO Dăruiește Viață Association announced on December 15. More than 350,000 individuals and over 7,000 companies backed what the non-profit calls "the largest social involvement initiative in Romania."

Funds are still needed, as the team is now moving on to the next phase: the installation of furniture, testing of installations, and preparation of the reception process, which will start in the first part of next year. And then, the NGO has even bigger plans.

"Completing the construction work for the Hospital built together and with the help of our donors and sponsors is proof that we can turn our aspirations into reality. […] We're entering a new project stage, both on the technical side and on the work side with the Hospital staff and the authorities because we want the new Hospital to be more than just a building. It must be the place from which the heart of the change in the health system in Romania beats," said Carmen Uscatu, co-founder of Dăruiește Viață.

The #NoiFacemUnSpital (WeBuildAHospital) initiative started from the desire to renovate and bring up to modern standards the pediatric oncology department of the Marie S. Curie Hospital in Bucharest but turned into a real country project - the first children's hospital built exclusively from donations and sponsorships.

At the moment, #NoiFacemUnSpital means a building of 12,000 square meters and 9 levels built from scratch, a thermal plant of 2,400 sqm that will serve the entire Marie Curie Hospital, facilities compliant with modern standards for hospitals, and a design project created around the patient and their family.

The initiative brings numerous firsts in the public system in Romania: the First Department of Pediatric Radiotherapy, a fully glass operating room, technology (digitalization, BMS system, air treatment plant, top radiotherapy equipment), and "human spaces" (beds for relatives, indoor garden, playgrounds, radio studio, astronomical observatory, relaxation spaces, and so on).

In the following years, Dăruiește Viață, together with donors and supporters, aims to create "the first medical campus in the country and a reference center in SE Europe for the multidisciplinary treatment of children with serious illnesses" at the Marie Curie Hospital in Bucharest. The project will include a second new building and the renovation and modernization of the current one.

"Also, the Association is working on a pilot project for the Department of Pediatric Radiotherapy (the first in a state hospital), which it will propose to the authorities to identify the best solutions for providing medical services to Western standards in public hospitals, putting the patient at the center and ensuring performance and respect for the medical staff. The project is based on a corporate governance model and a medical governance model," Dăruiește Viață said.

"The idea of a Hospital was born in 2015, and today we reach an important moment, thanks to the hearts that beat synchronously to the rhythm of change: the completion of the construction works. But our journey does not stop here. #NoiFacemUnSpital is about hope and our commitment, of all those involved, that we can bring a radical change to the medical system in Romania," said Oana Gheorghiu, co-founder of Dăruiește Viață.

Dăruiește Viață has been building and rebuilding wards and hospitals for over 10 years, investing more than EUR 43 million in the medical system in Romania, funds raised exclusively from donations and sponsorships.

Both companies and individuals can back their ongoing work. Companies can redirect 20% of the profit/income tax to the NGO, but donations can also be made online at Daruiesteviata.ro or by sending a message at 8864 with the text SPITAL (for a monthly donation of EUR 4). This year is also the first year in which sponsorships can be made for the previous year (2021) based on Declaration 177.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/Daruieste Viata)