The Regional Specialist Hospital "Father Jerzy Popiełuszko" in Włocławek is a cornerstone of healthcare in Poland’s Kuyavian-Pomeranian region. To meet modern standards, a €50 million expansion, co-financed by the European Investment Bank (EIB), is currently underway. The goal is clear: faster, more efficient care for patients. However, the path to achieving it has been far from simple.
In 2020, the hospital began what looked like a routine infrastructure upgrade. But external shocks quickly complicated the timeline.
“The project began during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was a tough time for the construction sector, and later suffered further setbacks linked to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which caused worker shortages, significant delays, and price hikes,”says Adam Kozierkiewicz, an EIB Advisory specialist working under the JASPERS mandate.
Local authorities felt the pressure immediately. “The economic crisis caused by the war led to a sharp increase in costs,” says Barbara Jesionowska, Director of the Department for Implementation of European Funds at the Marshal’s Office, a Polish regional administration. “We had to adapt quickly to keep the project moving.”
A strategic pause to reassess
Faced with mounting challenges, the project team made a difficult but necessary decision to terminate the initial construction contract at the "shell" stage, where the structural framework stands complete, but the interior remains unfinished. This pause allowed for a critical reassessment of costs.
This break proved essential. A new tender was launched to complete the work, but the financial landscape had shifted and EIB Advisory was called in to help prepare the next phase.
This is where the EIB’s value extended beyond mere financing. The advisory team stepped in to develop a robust feasibility study, assessing strategic options to ensure the project met rigorous financial, technical and environmental standards.
“We were helping create a viable healthcare delivery system that could adapt to future challenges and make it bankable,” says Kozierkiewicz. “EIB Advisory assistance likely contributed to the positive granting of EU funds and EIB loans.”
The "medical package of the century"
The Włocławek modernisation is not an isolated effort. It is part of a sweeping regional strategy managed by Kujawsko-Pomorskie Inwestycje Medyczne (KPIM), a company created specifically to oversee healthcare investments across seven hospitals.
“Before the setup of this company, the healthcare investments were fragmented and some of the purchases were taking place at personal level decisions, it wasn’t efficient,” says Witold Szpak, an EIB loan officer for Poland.
Centralising these efforts has streamlined the process. “This new structure strengthens the region’s medical potential and makes it more attractive to patients,” says Marshal Piotr Całbecki, a founder of KPIM.
“As a borrower benefiting from the support of the European Investment Bank, the company implements medical projects aimed at improving the quality of medical services in the region. This includes financing the construction and modernisation of medical infrastructure,” says Całbecki.
Since 2007, the region has signed four loan agreements with the EIB to support the "medical package of the century." The Włocławek hospital alone secured an EIB loan of approximately PLN 298 million (€70 million) toward a total project cost of PLN 463 million (€109 million).
Innovation in emergency response
The new facility is designed for the future. Wards will be relocated to advanced, energy-efficient spaces that prioritise patient recovery. “Patients will be able to receive diagnoses and begin treatment more quickly, while better coordination between hospital and outpatient services will reduce waiting times for subsequent stages of therapy,” says Jesionowska.
Perhaps the most critical improvement is the "Hot Platform", a direct link between the helicopter landing pad and the Emergency Department, a feature designed with national defence readiness in mind.
“The ‘Hot Platform’ will shorten response times and save lives. It’s a major step forward in emergency care,” says Jesionowska.
“The involvement of EIB lending and advisory teams has enabled the execution of investments on a scale previously unseen in the region while aligning solutions with European best practices,” says Jesionowska. “Cooperation with the EIB has played a strategic role in ensuring the highest technical and financial standards in project preparation and in optimising them from both technical and economic perspectives.”