When will the centers for the great burned be ready. Timișoara, close to the end, Bucharest still has to wait

More than 10 years after the tragedy in the Colectiv club, Romania will have three new centers for the treatment of patients with serious burns. According to information provided by the Ministry of Health at the request of “Adevărul”, the works at the three units – Timișoara, Târgu Mureș and Bucharest – are getting closer to completion.

Minister of Health, Alexandru Rogobete. PHOTO: Inquam Photos / George Călin

The tragedy that happened in 2015 in the Colectiv club, resulting in the death of dozens of people and the injury of 150 others, revealed the chronic vulnerabilities of the Romanian health system. While officials gave assurances on television that there were sufficient resources in the country to treat people with severe burns, the reality proved exactly the opposite. Several seriously injured victims could not find a place to be treated properly, which caused their death.

With the creative momentum after the tragedy, the authorities decided to build three centers for patients with severe burns, aimed at increasing the treatment capacity in case of tragedies with a large number of victims.

Topics such as “Patients' access to hospitals and treatments”, “Access to medical services in big cities vs. rural areas” or “The status of regional hospitals” will be debated during the event,,Healthcare Forum. The truth about Romania's health”organized on March 24, by “Adevărul”.

“The truth” is an impartial mediator that brings together all the relevant voices in the field and facilitates a constructive dialogue between those who can bring changes in the healthcare system: governors, doctors, hospital directors, investors, company managers in the field, patients and digitalization experts.

The center for major burns in Timișoara is almost completed

The construction site in Timișoara is the most advanced of the three. The new building will have a height regime that includes five floors, a basement, ground floor, a technical floor and a heliport, with a developed area of ​​21,000 square meters. The Ministry of Health details the capacity of the new structure, where a UPU-SMURD structure with 58 positions, a burn center with 6 cubicles for critical patients, 6 reserves for intermediate and post-critical burns, as well as 5 beds for microsurgery and reconstructive surgery will operate. This resource is complemented by an ATI ward with 27 beds and an operating block with 25 operating rooms. The unit will be connected to the rest of the hospital by a special walkway.

The execution contract, with a value of approximately 71 million euros (VAT included), was signed in May 2023. By January 19, 2026, physical progress had reached 95%. Although the contractual term is set for March 31, 2026, officials state that it will be extended until the end of May 2026. The reason cited by the ministry refers to “updating some technical solutions related to the mechanical installations, adapting the project in accordance with the solutions of the utility administrators and making the final connections, planning the activities to carry out the functional tests and tests”.
The inauguration will take place in the second part of this year, subject to the completion of tests, obtaining permits, relocation of equipment and the progress of purchases for furniture and medical technology.

Târgu Mureș County Hospital: 75% physical progress

In Târgu Mureș, the new building of 24,577 square meters will take over a large part of the national pressure of critical cases. The Ministry of Health's response mentions that a burn center equipped with five beds for critically ill patients and ten beds for intermediate therapy and microsurgery will operate here. The ATI ward will have 44 beds, and the operating room will benefit from 25 operating rooms distributed over two floors.

The works started in March 2024, and in mid-January 2026 they reached a physical stage of 75%. And in this case, the original deadline of the end of March will undergo adjustments. The Ministry of Health estimates that the works will be ready in May 2026. The only exceptions are the works for the medium voltage connection of the entire medical platform and the final tests, with a deadline of August 31, 2026. So, according to the ministry, the center will be able to be operational from the second half of the year, subject to the same strict testing, authorization and equipment procedures.

The major burns center at the “Grigore Alexandrescu” Hospital could be ready in 2027

The third major objective, intended for the “Grigore Alexandrescu” Emergency Clinical Hospital for Children in Bucharest, is at 45% physical progress. A building of 13,700 square meters is being erected here, the value of the contract being approximately 67 million euros. The pediatric center will include 10 beds for critical patients, 14 for intermediate therapy, 10 beds for microsurgery, an ATI ward with 36 beds and an operating block with eight operating rooms.

The Ministry of Health directly explained to “Adevărul” the difficulties that the teams have to manage on a daily basis: “The work and the organization of the site are carried out in difficult conditions: very limited spaces, very close to existing buildings where specialized medical activities are carried out and very close to private buildings that must be protected against vibrations, noise and dust”.

The institution also emphasizes that the location of the health facility right in the center of Bucharest brings additional organizational difficulties through limited car access and constantly congested traffic.

To erect the new building, the builders had to demolish nine old buildings, a procedure doubled by the relocation of utilities, all without interrupting the medical activity. The official deadline for the completion of the construction is March 31, 2027. The Ministry estimates the operationalization for the second half of 2027, provided the continuity of financing is ensured.