Desenzano Hospital Group Plans New Facilities and Investments in Brescia

Six hospitals (Desenzano, Lonato, Salò, Gavardo, Manerbio, Leno), 2,600 employees, 1,050 beds, 44,000 ordinary hospitalizations and 8,400 day hospital admissions, 350,000 emergency room visits, and over 3 million outpatient contacts: these are the figures for the 2000 activity of the Desenzano hospital company, which serves a population of over 310,000 residents, one-third of the province of Brescia. However, in this case, the data cannot be entirely accurate because many hospitalizations come from the south or neighboring provinces. The hospital in Desenzano reported an operating profit of six billion euros, contrasted by an 11 billion euro deficit in the Manerbio facility, but overall the organization is in good health, so much so that the Regione (Region) approved the three-year investment plan very quickly, featuring some unprecedented and interesting novelties.

The Manerbio hospital will host a new gastroenterology unit, while in Roè, a new hospital is planned, with a possible merger with the Fasano hospital (currently merged with the Civile di Brescia). The new facility will be built on a 13,000-square-meter area with an investment of approximately 40 billion euros, financed partly through self-funding and partly via the project financing model. The hospital will house the psychiatric diagnosis and care service along with the divisions and services currently operating at the Salò hospital.

“There has been some controversy in recent days regarding this decision,” says Angelo Foschini, general director of the Desenzano hospital company, a 61-year-old from Castiglione delle Stiviere. “But I believe no one can deny that renovating two obsolete hospitals would have cost more than building a modern facility.” The second innovative project approved by the region concerns the construction of a clinic with an operating block, which will be built on a site already identified near the hospital. It is intended to address the temporary halt for renovation of the operating rooms at the Monte Croce hospital. Finally, the organization will put some real estate properties in Desenzano and Limone up for auction, with expected revenues of around 800 million euros.