ZAGREB, 15 March 2021 - The Rijeka Clinical Hospital Centre on Monday received 12 new ventilators that were procured by the Health Ministry with the use of EU funds.
The hospital's director, Alen Ružić, thanked the ministry, government and European Commission for the valuable equipment, underscoring that it would significantly improve working conditions at the hospital and contribute to better patient care as well as improving the quality of treatment.
The ventilators will be put to use immediately in various wards at the hospital but primarily to relieve the work of the respiratory centre with COVID-19 patients, in ICU, and at neurology and pediatric wards. The hospital now has about 60 ventilators which are sufficient to cover the current number of patients.
Health Ministry State-Secretary Željko Plazonić, who chairs the KBC Rijeka steering board, said the ventilators were obtained through a procurement process conducted by the European Commission. They are part of a contingent of 169 ventilators procured for COVID-19 wards in health institutions throughout Croatia. The price of each ventilator is €24,000, Plazonić added.
Answering reporters' questions, Ružić said that due to the new wave of COVID-19 the hospital's level of preparedness had been increased and if need be it would be prepared to open a new COVID ward that would be separated from other wards. He added that due to the increased number of COVID-19 patients, the number of other non-urgent surgical procedures would be partially reduced.
