05/07/2010 (Agence Europe) - The European Investment Bank (EIB) is to lend €300 million to co-finance the construction of a new 800-bed hospital in the north of Vienna, where, at present, only 3 beds per 1,000 residents are available, compared to about 9 beds per 1,000 residents in the western districts of the city. The project will enable the transfer of existing hospital services, located in historical buildings which cannot be easily adapted to the current needs, to a single modern building. This will allow patients to benefit from modern facilities and a high quality therapeutic environment for healthcare delivery. The new hospital will be located in the 21st Vienna District, Floridsdorf, on the site of a disused Austrian Railway workshop. The new facility will have a total floor area of 209,000 m². The City of Vienna, through Wiener Krankenanstaltverbund, the department of the municipality in charge of the healthcare institutions owned by the City, is the project promoter and final beneficiary of the EIB loan. (O.L./transl.rt)