The Kiskunhalas epidemic hospital constructed in just two and a half weeks is a feat of engineering and construction which confirms that even in such a short time it is possible to build a high-quality hospital equipped to the highest standards, the Minister of State for International Communication and Relations said on Tuesday in the settlement.

Zoltán Kovács stressed that the mobile epidemic hospital built to provide care for 150 patients is proof of the skills penal institutions have and of the knowledge Hungarian experts boast in the building, furnishing and equipping of hospitals.

The Minister of State said deciding when an institution that is specifically designed for the treatment of coronavirus patients, in particular, patients in a more severe condition, is a medical issue. However, the institution is read, he said.

Mr Kovács highlighted that the government had adopted in good time the restrictive and preparatory measures which permitted the slowing down of the spread of the coronavirus. The Hungarian epidemic curve, the number of incidences, and the numbers of patients and fatalities “pass the test even by international standards due to the measures implemented in a timely manner,” he said.

At the same time, the Minister of State added that while the measures introduced by the government had contributed to the slower spread of the virus than elsewhere, this did not mean that, due to a change in circumstances, the epidemic could not ignite at any moment, and that “we could avoid a scenario that would justify the need for tens of thousands of beds”.

He said the Kiskunhalas mobile epidemic hospital had been built to manage the sudden emergence of great pressure and a significant patient load. According to plans, after the end of the epidemic, the container hospital built on the premises of the Kiskunhalas prison could continue to function as a hospital of the national network of penal institutions.

In answer to the question of the Hungarian news agency MTI, Mr Kovács said the Hungarian health care system, law enforcement, disaster management as well as all institutions and organisations concerned have prepared for the management of a worst-case scenario. They will be required to demonstrate this in the first week of May, sometime around 3 May.

Guaranteeing the conditions for protecting the Hungarian people is the responsibility of the Hungarian State and the Operational Group. However, decisions on medical and other professional issues will have to be adopted by physicians, the relevant social care systems and infectology experts, he added.

According to a communication distributed on site by the penal institution responsible for the project, hundreds of construction workers and experts worked on the construction of the Kiskunhalas epidemic hospital around the clock. The facility which meets the most stringent disease control regulations has been equipped with cutting-edge equipment and medical devices.

The building complex consisting of 225 containers with a total ground space of 3,100 square metres accommodates 36 wards. Sixteen of these serve the treatment of low-risk patients, another sixteen are reserved for medium-risk patients, while the remaining four have been equipped to treat patients in a critical condition.

The continuous operation of the mobile container hospital – which was built on the premises of the Kiskunhalas National Penal Institution, but is separated from the prison – as well as the use of critical equipment are guaranteed by a 1.6 megawatt transformer, two generators and an uninterrupted power supply unit.

The mobile epidemic hospital features a therapeutic observation unit, three-way airlock gowning rooms, a reception and examination unit, a separate laboratory, X-ray, ultrasound and CT machines, and ventilators.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister)