The planned new hospital for the Ausseer will be more expensive and come later

As the OÖN reported, a new lead hospital for the Liezen district is being built in the Styrian community of Stainach-Pürgg. The hospital will replace the current locations in Bad Aussee, Rottenmann and Schladming and will also supply the population of the Styrian Salzkammergut in the future. The leading hospital will have 228 beds and a floor space of 18,600 square meters.

Geothermal energy instead of natural gas

The Styrian health fund announced on Thursday that the project would become considerably more expensive. When the Styrian state government decided to build it two years ago, construction costs were estimated at 334 million euros. Now the planners are counting on a further 70 million euros. 28 million of these are caused by the meanwhile higher construction cost index. However, changes to the plan also contribute to the increase in costs. Additional hospice, palliative and intensive care beds cost eleven million euros. 19 million euros in additional costs are incurred because instead of the originally planned gas heating, sustainable geothermal energy is now used. A large photovoltaic system also makes the project more expensive than expected two years ago. From the point of view of the control bodies in Graz, the price increases are “understandable and plausible”.

But there are also changes in the schedule. The new hospital was originally supposed to open at the turn of the year 2027/2028. In the meantime, the planners do not expect completion until summer 2028. The reason for this is not only the planning changes, but also a “changed market situation” and “aftermath of the pandemic”, as those responsible in Graz explain.

Plans for the new hospital will be submitted to authorities for approval in early 2024. The groundbreaking is scheduled for autumn 2024. (ebra)