The project Health Bridge for Close Communities brings together four hospitals from Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and Ukraine—Viseu de Sus City Hospital (Lead Partner), Ozd Hospital, Kralovský Chlmec Hospital, and Kolomyia Hospital—in a united effort to strengthen cross-border healthcare services and ensure equitable access to quality medical care for citizens in the border areas. With a total budget of €2,109,770.40, the initiative is co-financed under the Interreg NEXT HUSKROUA Programme, Priority 2.1 – Equal access to healthcare, and addresses major challenges related to limited healthcare infrastructure, insufficient preparedness for medical emergencies, and fragmented coordination in epidemiological surveillance.
The project aims to respond to the healthcare needs of over 32,000 people across the four municipalities by reducing health disparities, improving infrastructure, and reinforcing the cooperation mechanisms between partner hospitals. It sets out to promote inclusive, resilient healthcare systems and accelerate the transition from institutional to family- and community-based care.
Main Objective
The overarching goal of the project is to contribute to a healthier and more attractive cross-border region by fostering healthcare equity and cooperation between institutions in Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and Ukraine. The project specifically supports the Interreg programme objective of ensuring equal access to health services while enhancing resilience and preparedness for public health emergencies.
Specific Objectives
- Facilitating Equal Access to Healthcare:
Through coordinated investments in medical equipment, patient communication tools, and infrastructure, the project will improve access to modern diagnostic, surgical, and emergency services across all partner hospitals. - Strengthening Health System Resilience and Emergency Preparedness:
Joint training sessions, IT mobility solutions, and standardized epidemiological monitoring tools will enhance the partners’ collective capacity to respond to public health emergencies and cross-border health threats. - Promoting Collaboration Between Hospitals and Communities:
Activities such as public health campaigns, community workshops, and direct engagement with citizens aim to build trust in healthcare services, improve health literacy, and foster long-term collaboration between medical institutions and the populations they serve.
Key Activities
- Investment in Equipment: All four hospitals will be equipped with modern medical devices (e.g., laparoscopic towers, diagnostic ultrasound machines, hemodialysis units, sterilizers, ECGs) to strengthen their service provision capacity.
- Disaster Preparedness and Clinical Training: Healthcare professionals will undergo specialized training in disaster response, advanced clinical procedures, and cross-border patient transfer protocols, promoting knowledge exchange and operational consistency.
- IT Mobility Development: A secure web platform for cross-border epidemiological data sharing and a multilingual mobile app for real-time communication with emergency room patients’ families will be developed to improve care coordination and transparency.
- Cross-Border Epidemiological Studies: The four hospitals will jointly conduct epidemiological research to map disease patterns, identify public health risks, and design coordinated responses.
- Joint Public Health Campaigns: Awareness initiatives will be launched to promote preventive healthcare, disease prevention, vaccination, and community education, reaching at least 20,000 people across the project area.
- Communication & Visibility: A robust media and outreach strategy will include the organization of opening and closing press conferences, development of multilingual materials, social media campaigns, and local engagement events to ensure widespread public awareness and visibility of the project’s impact.
