A representation of supporters of the “movement for the redevelopment of the hospital” met the mayoral candidate Vittoria Ceraso from the Oggi per Tomorrow list. It is the third meeting with the mayoral candidates after the one with Alessandro Portesani and Paola Tacchini. Here is the statement from the “movement”
“After informing Dr. Ceraso of the objectives of our petition we talked about the project for the new hospital in Cremona.
We underlined that, even before knowing and criticizing the project, we were shocked by the difference between the estimated cost for the construction of a new hospital and the redevelopment of the current one as it is scandalously high (over 350 million) and places everyone of us a simple question to which even today no one has answered by presenting reasons and “objective” evidence: is a new hospital necessary for Cremona?, why has the option of implementing an adequate restructuring been discarded?
As on the occasion of other meetings with associations and mayoral candidates, it seemed to us that everyone agrees that the aesthetic appearance of the new hospital building is a non-conclusive parameter for choosing the new one, because it is “beautiful”, rather than the current redeveloped one which for many Architects, at the end of the works, it may be an architectural excellence suitable for the efficiency of the functions that this building will have to perform and even less for those who will have to occupy it for the need to recover their health.
Since we cannot summarize the discussion that took place in a meeting that lasted more than two hours in a few lines, it seems important to point out that Dr. Ceraso prudently informed us that her position regarding a clear choice between the new hospital and the restructuring of the The current situation is an “interlocutory wait” which is presumed to be linked to the wait for more detailed information on the executive project.
The funding already available can be used for the restoration of the current hospital as the state origin of this money is generally aimed at healthcare buildings to be “redeveloped”, meaning with this term both “renovate” and “build from scratch”.
Another important topic addressed during the meeting was regarding the inconveniences that both healthcare workers, but above all patients admitted to the hospital, will have both during the construction of a new hospital and during its demolition.
We underlined to the candidate for mayor that the H-shape of the current hospital allows us to intervene on each “arm” separately from the other three arms, after having transferred the activities and departments included in it for the period necessary to complete the works. The possible necessary demolition of dividing and infill walls, and the integral conservation of the pillars and floors will allow us to obtain a free area on each floor in which to redesign the environments necessary for hospitalization (single rooms, with the possibility of making them double) and for assistance services and laboratories of all kinds. Current construction techniques allow prefabricated buildings to be prepared “off site” which can be inserted in a modular manner with greater ease and speed onto an already available load-bearing structure compared to a new load-bearing structure to be built.
The renovation times will certainly be quicker and less impactful than the construction of a new building, considering the months, if not years, necessary for the demolition of the current one, especially its reinforced concrete parts. All this will lead to an environmental impact and suffering for the patients and healthcare workers recently moved to the new hospital, who, given the proximity of 30-40 meters between the two colossal buildings, will not be able to escape the noise, vibrations and pollution. We reiterated to Dr. Ceraso that, to our knowledge, despite the operation of the new hospital being a unique event for Cremona in time, both from an economic and social point of view, the responsible supporters of the unhealthy operation not only failed to inform citizens, but also people who hold important positions, only leaking incomplete information on the costs of the operation”.
