The new main building of the Charity Hospital of the Federation of Hungarian Jewish Communities (Magyarországi Zsidó Hitközségek - Mazsihisz) on Amerikai Road was inaugurated, which was renovated in the course of a one and a half billion forints reconstruction - MTI reports. The entire hospital renovation, which started in 2019 and will be carried out in several phases, will cost a total of €4.8 million. The first phase was completed in March 2020. 

During the second phase of the renovation of the charity hospital, which has now been completed, the building returned from the Uzsoki Street Hospital in 1994 was renovated, and the diagnostic and outpatient departments and the 60-bed rehabilitation ward were also placed there. Miklós Kásler said that before the Holocaust, there were four Jewish hospitals in Budapest: the Szabolcs Street Hospital, the Maros Street Hospital, the Városmajor Street Hospital and the Charity Hospital, which was founded in 1914.

The Charity Hospital, the only Jewish hospital in Central Europe, continued to operate in the former Menedékház [Asylum] (Source: Charity Hospital) 

At the handover ceremony, Miklós Kásler, Minister of Human Resources, recalled: the government has provided 4.8 billion forints in funding for the complete reconstruction and expansion of the charity hospital. The hospital was nationalised in 1952, but one of its two annexes, the asylum, was not, and the charity hospital has been operating here ever since. The other annex - now renovated - was returned to the church in 1994. He recalled that "a very important moment" in the process of the hospital's full recovery was the fact that in 2017 Orbán and András Heisler, President of the Mazsihisz, agreed that the government would support the reconstruction.

The two distinctive new towers of the main building of the Charity Hospital on Amerikai Road (Source: Charity Hospital) 

Recently, the President of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald Lauder, sent a letter of thanks to the prime minister for his support of the charity hospital," the Minister added. Miklós Kásler said that "this exemplary development has strengthened church hospitals as a whole". Churches, he said, have the spiritual surplus and the spiritual approach and conditions that "enable them to care for our neighbours better than anyone else". This is especially true in our increasingly alienated world.

Nowadays, there is a great demand for holistic healing, where the healing process deals not only with physical problems, but also with the whole person - the soul -" the Minister noted. András Heisler stressed: thanks to the complex renovation, the charity hospital, the only Jewish hospital in Central Europe, is now a modern, 21st century hospital. The 4.8 billion HUF state aid is closely linked to the government's intention for hospitals run by churches to play a significant role in the national health system," he said.

A top view of the building complex at 53-55 Amerikai Road (Source: Charity Hospital) 

András Heisler noted that the contractor completed the renovation on time, without cost overruns. Yakov Hadasz-Handelszman, Israel's Ambassador in Budapest, said that every society has a responsibility to provide good care for its members.

The hospital, which cares for Jews and non-Jews, is of great importance to the Jewish community in Hungary. Survivors of the Holocaust are also treated here.Shemesh Assaf, the director of the charity hospital, said that the renovated building covers an area of 2,300 square metres. The new wing houses outpatient clinics, a 60-bed rehabilitation ward, offices and teaching spaces.According to the published press material, the architectural cost of the project was 1.5 billion HUF, and the cost of the equipment and fittings was 500 million HUF.

Source: MTI

Cover photo: the new main building of the Mazsihisz Hospital of Charity in Budapest, located on Amerikai Road, is completed (Source: Hospital of Charity)