Slovak Government's Flagship Hospital Project Faces Quality and Transparency Concerns

The Prešov hospital construction project, intended as a flagship achievement of Prime Minister Robert Fico's government campaign about "rebuilding Slovakia," is facing serious problems with construction quality and transparency. The project, which Fico has praised publicly while expressing confidence in Health Minister Viliam Kaliňák, is experiencing poor workmanship, inadequate supervision, and questions about the transparency of contractor selection processes. These issues, combined with failures in the construction of emergency medical stations, have raised doubts about who is actually managing the health ministry and whether the government has confused governance with empty marketing. Opposition MP Majerský criticized the situation, suggesting the project could become "Fico's Titanic" and telling Kaliňák that "we are not a sultanate," indicating concerns about accountability in the project's management.