New clinic at the Radium Hospital

Minister of Health, Bent Høie and Minister of Finance, Siv Jensen, the Radium HospitalMinister of Health, Bent Høie and Minister of Finance, Siv Jensen, visit the Radium Hospital on Tuesday morning. Photo: Torstein Bøe / NTB scanpix

The Government wants to build a new clinic at the Radium Hospital

The Government parties – the Conservatives and the Progress Party – gives the green light to the construction of a new clinic building costing in excess of NOK 3 billion at the Radium Hospital.

 

Minister of Health, Bent Høie (Conservatives) and Minister of Finance, Siv Jensen (Progress Party), on Tuesday  announced this in front of the Radium Hospital’s main main entrance dating from 1929.

A day to rejoice, according to the two ministers.

“I am pleased that we keep the Radium Hospital and that we are now starting the construction of a new clinic building that both the patients and employees deserve, says Høie.

Promise from 2013

The Progress Party in 2013 promised to have a new building in place at the Radium Hospital, where several of the buildings are deprecated and have significant need to be upgraded. The oldest building dates back to 1928, and the newest is from 2009.

– I’m not proud of the decline of the Radium Hospital. But with a new clinic we can achieve a world-leading cancer research environment, says Jensen.

The discussion about what is going to happen with the Hospital has been going on for years, and only in June last year it was finally decided to keep today’s hospital structure. Thereafter, it was a short route to decide to construct a new clinic.

The building has a budgeted cost of a total of NOK 3.1 billion. In the state budget for 2018 that will be presented in October, the Government will propose a loan of in excess of NOK 2.7 billion, which constitutes 70 per cent of the cost. Health South East will cover the rest of the expenses.

Fought for a long time

Construction of the 16,000 square metre large building will ensue in 2019, and it will be completed by 2022.

– We have been fighting for this for a long time, says head of the Cancer Society, Anne Lise Ryel. She thanks the Government for putting the money on the table.

– This is to put the patient in the center – in real terms. The Radium Hospital will now be unique in the Nordic region and a locomotive for all cancer treatment in Norway, she concludes.

 

Facts about the Radium Hospital

  • Norwegian Specialist Hospital for Cancer Treatment, inaugurated in 1932
  • Located at Montebello in Oslo
  • The Radium Hospital was merged with Rikshospitalet in 2005. From 2009 onwards they are part of the Oslo University Hospital
  • In addition to treatment of patients, a lot of cancer research is being conducted at the Radium Hospital

 

© NTB Scanpix / The Radium Hospital / Norway Today