Children's Hospital to Resume Operations in Six Renovated Operating Rooms

The Children's Clinical University Hospital (BKUS) has completed the renovation of six operating rooms, which will resume operations shortly. Hospital representative Līva Segliņa stated that construction work did not interrupt surgical services; instead, surgeries were rescheduled to other rooms. In the first half of this year, the hospital performed over 3,500 operations despite ongoing renovations.

BKUS has a total of nine operating rooms, where more than 8,200 surgeries were conducted in 2023. The renovation focused on the six largest rooms, enabling higher-quality routine and complex, high-precision surgeries. The hospital treats patients from premature newborns to adults, so each room's microclimate and equipment are adaptable to different age groups and surgical needs.

During the renovation, automatic doors with touchless sensors and modern ventilation systems were installed, with each room having an independent system. These reduce infection risk and maintain required temperature and humidity levels. The systems will be fully operational after calibration.

Head of the operating block Artūrs Vīksne noted that the rooms are equipped with the latest medical technology: ceiling-mounted anesthesia and surgical consoles, video control systems, and cameras integrated into surgical lamps. This enables remote consultations with international experts and simultaneous display of examinations on multiple monitors. New mobile X-ray machines allow intraoperative imaging, with images instantly available to the surgical team. Vīksne added that screens can also be used to reduce children's anxiety, for example by showing animated films before anesthesia.

The renovation was funded by the European Union Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). Total costs for the operating block renovation were €3,736,994, with equipment costing €2,879,800. The project for developing BKUS's integrated healthcare system ran from November 2022 to June 2026, with a total budget of €40,958,808, including €33,860,399 from the RRF and €6,667,069 from the state budget. The hospital is currently finalizing several other important renovation works.