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Time capsule embedded in foundations of East Hospital’s New Pulmonary and Infectious Diseases Treatment Building
Today, Riga East University Hospital (East Hospital) marked another construction milestone by embedding a time capsule in the foundations of its new Pulmonary and Infectious Diseases Treatment Building at the campus located at Hipokrāta iela. This event marks a significant step forward in the development of East Hospital’s infrastructure and consolidation of healthcare services at the campus located at Hipokrāta iela.
Designed as a modern and safe facility, the new building will provide comprehensive care for patients with pulmonary and infectious diseases. It will house diagnostic and treatment facilities, patient isolation units, intensive care monitoring facilities, research areas, and teaching space for medical students. During the current phase of the project, approximately 22,000 square metres of new clinical facilities will be constructed over four storeys, with 180 inpatient beds for the Tuberculosis and Lung Disease Centre. The project will strengthen Latvia’s capacity to treat infectious diseases, tuberculosis, multidrug-resistant infections, and other highly transmissible diseases.
Minister for Health, Houssam Abou Merhi, placed a Latvian flag and a message from the healthcare sector in the time capsule, conveying to future patients, physicians, nurses, and healthcare professionals the importance of safe, modern, and crisis-ready healthcare in Latvia.
“The new Pulmonary and Infectious Diseases Treatment Building is an investment that will benefit both patients and healthcare professionals. For patients, it means a safer and more patient-friendly treatment facility, while for physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals, it will provide modern facilities to provide high-quality healthcare. The experience of recent years has demonstrated just how vital modern and sate infrastructure is to ensure that the country can respond effectively to future health emergencies. By consolidating specialised healthcare services at the campus located at Hipokrāta iela, we are also reinforcing East Hospital’s role as a leading university hospital. Healthcare infrastructure is about far more than just buildings. It is about saving lives, ensuring safety, and maintaining trust in our state,” pointed out the Minister for Health, Houssam Abou Merhi.
Chairman of the Board of East Hospital, Vadims Beļuns, placed in the time capsule a message for future generations regarding the development of East Hospital and the role of the new building for health and safety of patients, staff, and society.
“Today, by embedding the time capsule in the foundations of the new Pulmonary and Infectious Diseases Treatment Building, we are leaving future generations a message about a decision made to ensure health and safety or patients, staff, and Latvian society. This new building represents a significant step towards the East Hospital’s development and consolidation of healthcare services at the campus located at Hipokrāta iela. Today, we are building infrastructure that will serve future generations of patients, physicians, nursing and healthcare staff, scientists, researchers, and students,” said the Chairman of the Board of East Hospital, Vadims Beļuns.
The new building will feature negative-pressure isolation units for infection prevention and control, specialised high-risk infection isolation units, enhanced monitoring rooms within inpatient wards, and Level 3 intensive care units with single-patient rooms and isolation units. The new building will be connected to the Gaiļezers inpatient facility to expand diagnostic and treatment capacity while improving internal logistics at the campus located at Hipokrāta iela.
Kaspars Plūme, Board Member of East Hospital, placed in the time capsule the official record of the project containing key facts, the scope of construction, and its expected benefits.
“This building is being constructed, paying close attention to details such as the room layout, patient and staff flows, isolation arrangements, connections to the Gaiļezers inpatient facility, logistics, and the working environment for the healthcare staff. The official record of the project that we placed in the time capsule provides a factual account of what we are constructing and the purpose of this new building,” explains Kaspars Plūme, Board Member of East Hospital.
The project was developed with a strong focus on the treatment process. From the earliest planning stages, heads of clinics and healthcare specialists were actively involved in defining the functional and technical requirements for the new building. Their practical experience helped develop the layout and solutions that meet the needs of patient safety, infection control, patient and staff flows, and the organisation of everyday work.
Ineta Derjabo, Board Member of East Hospital, placed in the time capsule a letter to future patients and healthcare staff.
“This letter to future patients and healthcare staff is a reminder of why this building is being constructed. It is intended for patients who require safe, specialised, and dignified care, and for physicians, nursing staff, assistant nurses, and the entire healthcare staff who should be able to work in an environment that reflects their professionalism, expertise, and responsibility. We hope that this building will become a place where patients receive safe and compassionate care and where healthcare staff can work safely, accurately, and with confidence”, said Ineta Derjabo, Board Member of East Hospital.
Meanwhile, AS “UPB ”, the company responsible for the design, author’s supervision, and construction of the new building, placed in the time capsule a sample of the material of the future façade as a symbolic representation of the building’s architectural identity.
“Our team has extensive and responsible design and construction work ahead, given than hospitals are buildings that, in terms of architecture, engineering, and medical technologies, must function together flawlessly. I am confident that through close cooperation between our experienced team and other stakeholders, the completion of this building will mark a significant improvement in the environment for both patients and healthcare professionals,” said Dainis Bērziņš, Chairman of the Board of AS “UPB”.
The total contractual amount is EUR 84.7 million, including VAT. The new building is expected to be completed in 2028.
The project is implemented with support from the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility and ERDF, together with additional sources of funding in accordance with the approved decisions.
About the East Hospital
Riga East University Hospital is the largest and strategically significant multi-profile hospital in the country. The hospital consists of five inpatient facilities – Gaiļezers, Latvian Oncology Centre, Biķernieki, Tuberculosis and Lung Disease Centre, and Latvian Infectious Diseases Centre, along with various specialised centres and clinics. The hospital provides highly specialised inpatient and secondary outpatient healthcare, offering multidisciplinary tertiary-level treatment and care in line with modern technology and medical knowledge. Approximately 80% of all cancer patients in Latvia are treated at the hospital. It serves as a practical training base for both Latvian educational institutions and foreign students, providing further education and knowledge transfer to healthcare specialists within and beyond the country. The hospital engages in scientific research and develops innovative methods for patient treatment. As the third-largest employer in the country, the hospital employs around 5000 staff members.
