A modern centre for the treatment of cancer patients is planned to be created at St Luke’s Hospital on Navrotskoho Street in Lviv. The executive committee of the Lviv City Council has approved the design and cost estimate documentation for the reconstruction of the existing hospital buildings and the construction of a new radiotherapy block with treatment and diagnostic facilities.
At the new centre, cancer patients will be able to receive a full cycle of medical care in one place: from diagnostics and surgery to chemotherapy, radiotherapy and inpatient treatment.
According to the Deputy Head of the Health Department of the Lviv City Council, Iryna Korenkova, approximately UAH 176 million is planned to be allocated for construction works, and a further UAH 370 million or so for the purchase of modern medical equipment. She noted that the two linear accelerators at the city hospital on Mykolaychuka Street are currently operating virtually non-stop, so the city is developing another centre to support cancer patients on the basis of St Luke’s Hospital.
The construction of the new block is planned to be implemented with the involvement of extra-budgetary funds and partly through borrowing. The First Territorial Medical Association is working on securing grant funding to implement the project.
The new block will include a fully fledged department for cancer patients with wards for inpatient stays. It is planned to install modern diagnostic and treatment equipment here, including a CT scanner and linear accelerators for radiotherapy.
“In the new block, we plan to set up a department for cancer patients with its own bed capacity, as well as to install modern equipment for diagnostics and treatment. This includes a CT scanner and one, and in future two, linear accelerators for radiotherapy. The city is in great need of such a department because, unfortunately, cancer is increasingly being diagnosed in younger people as well,” said the Head of St Luke’s Hospital, Vitaliy Kolodiy.
The project places particular emphasis on the development of radiotherapy. There are currently six linear accelerators operating in Lviv: two at the First Territorial Medical Association and another four at the regional oncology centre. The existing equipment is in constant use, and the demand for this type of treatment is increasing every year.
The new block will be built on the grounds of St Luke’s Hospital on Navrotskoho Street. In addition to installing equipment, the project provides for the construction of specialised premises for the operation of linear accelerators. Such facilities are subject to stringent safety and structural requirements and, in particular, need powerful protective elements due to the specific nature of the equipment’s operation.
The approval of the design and cost estimate documentation has been a key step towards launching the initiative. The city expects to start construction works as early as this year and, in parallel, to continue seeking additional sources of funding to create a modern oncology department at St Luke’s Hospital on Navrotskoho Street.