No Shelter in New RAKUS Building; Politicians Criticize Decision
The new 70 million euro building of Riga Eastern Clinical University Hospital will not include a shelter, as the project was approved before mandatory requirements took effect. Several politicians have criticized the decision, citing security concerns.
The new building of Riga Eastern Clinical University Hospital (RAKUS), which is being constructed to house the Latvian Infectology Center and the Tuberculosis and Lung Disease Center, will not have a shelter. The project, worth approximately 70 million euros, is the largest construction project at RAKUS in recent decades.
The TV program “Nekā personīga” revealed that the requirement for shelters in new buildings is in force but with a transition period until 2027, which does not apply to projects approved earlier. The RAKUS new building project was approved in 2024, so a shelter is not mandatory.
During the design phase, architects and designers repeatedly proposed including a shelter in the building's basement, knowing about upcoming legal changes, but the hospital declined. RAKUS explained that the design began before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, at a time when regulations did not require such a shelter. Additionally, specific building standards for shelters in medical facilities had not been developed.
The Ministry of Health noted that the project was also limited by European Union funding conditions, which allowed funds only for treatment infrastructure. The ministry added that in the new planning period, such solutions are already being considered.
The Ministry of Economics pointed out that even before the mandatory requirement, the building owner could have assessed the possibility of building a shelter and included it in the design task.
The decision to omit a shelter has been criticized by several politicians. Economics Minister Viktors Valainis (ZZS) stated that the public sector should not wait for mandatory requirements in security matters. Ainars Latkovskis (JV), chairman of the Saeima National Security Committee, told the program that such a decision is incomprehensible after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Currently, the Ministry of Health is collecting the needs of all Latvian hospitals to improve their resilience in crisis situations. After assessment, an informative report on necessary investments to strengthen the security of medical institutions is planned to be submitted to the government in August.
