Juncker Plan: European support for further development of Isala hospital

• - 

  EIB i to lend €150 million to Isala hospital with support of the European Commission’s Investment Plan for Europe, the Juncker Plan
• - 

  Financing covers new construction in Meppel, extension of eHealth measures in healthcare through the development of a new electronic patient file system, and the futureproofing of the existing buildings.

The European Investment Bank and Isala Hospital have signed a lending agreement for €150 million. The EIB loan will be supported by the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), the main pillar of the Investment Plan for Europe, also known as the Juncker Plan.

The financing will be used for the modernisation of the existing facilities, as well as for the new construction of the Meppel hospital. The modernisation entices an improvement of the safety conditions for employees as well as a more efficient layout of the facilities. Thanks to the use of modern materials the new building in Meppel will have a very high energy efficiency profile. Apart from investments in buildings and equipment, the financing also covers an upgrade of the management information system, as well as the introduction of a new electronic patient file system.

Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis said: "The health and well-being of all European citizens is of paramount importance to me, and I believe we all have a shared responsibility to ensure it. This is why I welcome the investment in the Isala Hospital, as it shows the Juncker Plan playing its role in improving quality of care and outcomes for patients, by modernising healthcare with first class equipment, e-health services and cutting edge technologies. I hope to see more Juncker Plan projects that invest in both healthcare and health promotion in the future, doing their part to make European citizens healthier."

“The healthcare sector never stands still.” said EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle. “Therefore, hospitals will have to continue their investments to stay up to date. Great healthcare is one of the reasons why The Netherlands have such a high life expectancy, and the EIB, whose mission it is to improve lives through its investments, is very glad to be able to support this project.”

“With this financing we can not only safeguard healthcare in our region for the coming years, but also continue our development. This is all the more important in a time when people live longer and thus there are more people in need of healthcare.” Added Rob Dillmann, chairman of the board at Isala.

Background information:

The European Investment Bank is the EU’s long-term lending institution; her shares are held by the EU Member States. The EIB makes long-term financing available for sound investment projects that contribute to the policy goals of the European Union. Last year, the EIB made available around €2 billion for projects in the Netherlands alone.

Isala is a hospital group in the IJsselland region in the Netherlands, consisting of five locations in Zwolle, Meppel, Steenwijk, Kampen and Heerde. Together, the group safeguards the offer of basic and top-level care in the Southwestern part of the Province of Drenthe and the Northeastern part of the the Province of Overijssel. Isala is part of the Dutch association of top-clinical hospitals.

The Investment Plan for Europe - the Juncker Plan - focuses on strengthening European investments to create jobs and growth. It does so by making smarter use of new and existing financial resources, removing obstacles to investment, and providing visibility and technical assistance to investment projects. The European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) is the central pillar of the Juncker Plan. It provides a first loss guarantee, allowing the EIB to invest in more, often riskier, projects. So far, the projects and agreements approved for financing under the EFSI are expected to mobilise over €371.2 billion in investments, including €10 billion in the Netherlands, and support around 856,000 SMEs across all 28 Member States. Find the latest EFSI figures by sector and by country here, or see the FAQs.