In Sickness and in Health

Anete Ābelniece
Sep 1, 2018 · 3 min read

“Wow!!! For real? Am I in the right place? Maybe I lost my way out of the territory and this is some fancy apartment building near the hospital? No way is this building a hospital!”

Those were all my reactions this morning when I first saw the majestic red and orange colored building after wandering around the territory of Paula Stradiņa klīniskā universitātes slimnīca, one of the biggest hospitals in Latvia, trying to find the Building A where I was scheduled for an ultrasound procedure. The interior of the building turned out to be equally impressive — white, light, clean, spacious, modern.

The new building, which is just one part of the more than a century old hospital, was opened last June. The total financing of the first round was over 87 million euros, of which 24 million euros were co-financed by the EU funds. This year, Latvia celebrates its 100th anniversary, and the hospital management hopes that the second round (Building B) will be finished by Latvia’s 110th birthday.

I’ve had to deal with hospitals since early childhood — 6 surgeries, concussion, injuries, etc. So, I am ‘experienced’ and used to hospitals in Latvia. I mean, I was used to them being mostly old, outdated and ‘hospital-like’. I arrived early this morning, so I had to wait for my procedure, and since this time it was nothing to do with pain or serious health issues, I kept thinking about the building that I was in awe of.

A whole lot of questions kept coming into my mind. Do the people who are very sick or dying, or someone dear to them is dying, — do they also notice how beautiful this place is? I guess, not so much. In 1996, my dad died of a rare disease in this very hospital. Today, sitting there 22 years later, I was thinking that maybe he could have been saved if doctors then had all the equipment and technology they have now. I will never know that. What I do know, is that I’m incredibly happy we have it today.

After my procedure and a subsequent visit to a surgeon, I learned that in the upcoming months I’ll have to undergo a surgery that will cost me almost 4 thousand euros, but I’m still very happy, because this is nothing that can’t be treated, or deadly. And I am in this remarkable place which gives me a feeling that I’ll be taken care of.

I hope more EU money gets allocated to places that are as important as this is. I hope more people get to go to this building only for mundane procedures. I hope more people come out of there perfectly healthy. I hope more people get to enjoy the beauty of what is created. I hope more people get to enjoy life.

The new building of Paula Stradiņa klīniskā universitātes slimnīca, Riga, Latvia

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