Sweden. Hälsostaden Ängelholm AB

The loan has been provided for the modernisation and development of hospital area in the municipality of Ängelholm in southern Sweden. The project comprises the demolition of old and inefficient buildings, the construction of new modern facilities, and the concentration of operations. The investment is earmarked for improving the availability of healthcare services, the ability to provide care at the right level and patient flows between hospital, primary and municipality.

Hälsostaden Ängelholm AB was established in 2010 as a joint venture between Region Skåne, the construction company PEAB and the real estate management company Wihlborgs Fastigheter AB. PEAB and Wihlborgs are Swedish publicly listed companies. All three partners have an equal share in the company. The company’s purpose is to develop and maintain healthcare facilities in cooperation with Region Skåne, the municipality of Ängelholm and other stakeholders.

Competitiveness: The centralisation of services is expected to increase productivity by 10%. The project has a high demonstration value, as other hospitals in Sweden are likely to follow Hälsostaden Ängelholm’s example. An efficient healthcare system is critical to overall productivity for developed economies. An ageing population, long treatment and waiting times combined with poor health outcomes are eroding human capital. Moreover, the cost of providing healthcare services will be a challenge for public finances for the Bank’s member countries in the coming decades, regardless of whether the costs occur in the public or private sectors. In Sweden, the costs for health and medical care represent about 10% of GDP. It is therefore obvious that productivity improvements of such a magnitude as in this project will increase the healthcare service’s added value and release resources for other economic activities in the member area.

Environment: The overarching environmental benefit of this particular project is the promotion of a sustainable building practice. Sustainable buildings are designed to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment by: (1) efficiently using energy, water, and other resources; (2) protecting occupant health; and (3) reducing waste and pollution. The new hospital buildings will comply with the second highest certification level in “Miljöbyggnad”, which is a valuation system developed by the Sweden Green Building Council. Based on the calculated energy performance, the annual reduction of energy use for the hospital buildings with the total area of 63,500 square metres will be around 4,500 MWh. Translated into a carbon dioxide effect, the facilities will reduce approximately 100 tonnes of CO2 a year.

Hälsostaden Ängelholm has developed procedures and requirements for the construction and refurbishment of the hospital buildings. All significant aspects are covered by the company’s environmental plan for the development. A special focus has been on the sustainable building approach. At the site, there is likely a contaminated area under the former central heating area. This will be investigated in detail during the building permit application process.