In the Cheb hospital, the reconstruction of the emergency department has begun, and it will be completed in June

Cheb – The renovation of the emergency department has begun at the Karlovy Vary Regional Hospital in Cheb (KKN). The modernization of the department will cost approximately 37.9 million crowns excluding VAT and should be completed by June 2027. According to Governor Petr Kubis (ANO), as well as medical staff and hospital management, the emergency department will become a more functional and technologically advanced workplace, ensuring rapid care for patients, they stated today at the groundbreaking ceremony. The contractor is the company Mudicon s.r.o.

The renovation of the department is planned to take place while it continues to operate, with staff working in replacement spaces. "It is essential that emergency patients have the shortest path to treatment. The emergency department will remain on the ground floor during the construction, but it is being moved to the second part of the building. All operations, such as neurology and other outpatient services, have been moved to the upper floors of the building, as patients can easily reach them," said Miloslava Lukešová, director of the Cheb KKN, to ČTK.

The estimated cost of the contract was 50.5 million crowns. "We were able to secure financial resources for the construction from the European grant under the Integrated Regional Operational Program 2021-2027 from the call 103 for emergency departments, where the amount for the Karlovy Vary Region was 179 million. We will use 100 million for the emergency department in Karlovy Vary. Approximately 50 million will be for Sokolov and 30 will be used in Cheb, with the remaining amount financed by us. The good news is that we will manage to complete it in a relatively short time, as we would like to have the emergency departments ready by the time our helicopter service begins," Kubis explained the financing and distribution of care in the region. The region is currently renovating or building three emergency departments. It is also constructing a base for the air rescue service at Karlovy Vary airport, which should become operational by 2029 at the latest, but the region is striving for an earlier start.

According to Lukešová, the emergency department is one of the busiest facilities. The new layout will allow for smoother patient movement from entry through registration and triage to actual treatment, she stated. The reception area will also be expanded. It will be divided into an emergency department and a cashier, and there will be a separate room for triage of patients, three examination rooms, a waiting room with five beds, and a resuscitation room for critically ill patients.

After the renovation, there will still be a direct connection to the diagnostic facilities for CT and X-ray, which will significantly speed up decision-making regarding further treatment steps. The department, after modernization, will offer better facilities for healthcare personnel and enable better organization of care in normal operations as well as in emergencies, said Jitka Gordonová, head nurse of the emergency department.

Lukešová stated that the hospital is prepared for the operation of the emergency department with current staff. "But we have announced a selection process and are looking for a head physician for this department. This autumn, we are welcoming nine new doctors to other departments, so recruitment is going well, and I would say that the hospital is catching its second wind," she added.

The reconstruction will include new electrical installations, health technical installations, heating, cooling, and air conditioning systems. The facility will be newly equipped with an electronic fire alarm system, evacuation public address system, access control system, and other technologies ensuring the safe and reliable operation of the healthcare facility.