Construction of medical facilities under agreement with Austria signed two years ago has not yet begun

This was reported to Ukrinform's own correspondent by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Labour and Economic Affairs.

"The framework agreement currently envisages three cooperation projects, namely the reconstruction and equipment of the Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital in Kyiv, the construction and equipment of a modern university hospital in Lviv or Kyiv, and the construction of a rehabilitation centre in Lviv. In addition to VAMED, other companies, including Austrian companies, are named in the framework agreement as possible contractual partners for the further implementation of the projects. The framework agreement is open for the addition of new projects. Negotiations on projects are currently underway between the contracting parties," the Austrian ministry commented on the implementation of the Framework Agreement.

It was noted that the amount of investment envisaged by the Framework Agreement "is up to EUR 200 million".

"The planned distribution of funds is not known. Austrian and German banks are expected to be involved as creditors," the ministry said.

As for whether the Austrian side sees the need to intensify cooperation in view of Russian missile strikes on medical facilities, in particular, Okhmatdyt, it was pointed out that it is still impossible to assess the consequences of the attack on the further implementation of the project.

"The project is currently being agreed between VAMED [an Austrian company for the design, construction and equipment of medical facilities] and the Ukrainian authorities. It is currently impossible to assess any consequences of the attack on the further implementation of the project," the Austrian Ministry of Economy said.

The Ukrainian Embassy in Austria told an Ukrinform correspondent that Ukraine is definitely interested in receiving tangible assistance from Austria in implementing healthcare projects.

"Ukraine, in particular the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, is very interested in Austria supporting the reconstruction and modernisation of the Okhmatdyt clinic with financial instruments, which has become extremely important after the recent Russian terrorist attack on the clinic," the diplomatic mission said.

It was noted that the embassy is in contact with Austrian ministries and private companies in this regard. "Minister of Health of Ukraine Viktor Lyashko held talks with Austrian Federal Minister of Economy Martin Kocher on the sidelines of the Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine in Berlin and asked for strong support for this project," the embassy added.

As Ukrinform reported, on 4 September 2022, the Ukrainian and Austrian governments signed a Framework Agreement on Economic Cooperation in the Development of Projects, in particular in the healthcare sector, which provides for the construction and equipment of three medical facilities.

As reported by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the Framework Agreement creates the legal basis for the development of such projects as: construction (reconstruction) and equipment of the National Children's Specialised Hospital "Okhmatdyt" in Kyiv (total project cost - EUR 200 million); construction and equipment of a modern university clinic in Kyiv (total project cost - EUR 350 million); creation of the National Rehabilitation Centre in Lviv (total project cost - EUR 75 million).