Western Romania: Auchan partners with Cluj authorities, business community for Covid-19 hospital

Retailer Auchan has partnered with the local authorities in Cluj-Napoca, in western Romania, to turn the Polyvalent Hall in the city into a hospital for Covid-19 patients.

For the project, it partnered with Cluj-Napoca City Hall, the Cluj Prefecture, the local Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, the Cluj Public Health Department, and the business community.

The hall will be turned into a triage, accommodation and treatment center for easy and mild Covid-19 cases, while the critical cases will be transferred to other hospitals. The hospital will have 350 beds.

Auchan and its partners will work to equip the building, which the local authorities will make available for them. After it is set up, medical authorities will take over it. It will be operated by specialized medical staff.

It is the second such project the retailer has undertaken in the country, after announcing, at the beginning of April, that it was working with DIY retailer Leroy Merlin to organize a hospitalization center for non-critical Covid-19 patients in the Bucharest-Ilfov area.

“The experience of the Bucharest pilot project has been very useful in the organizing process, in working with the authorities, and in bringing in new partners, to whom I thank for understanding the situation and the need. I am launching a new invitation to companies and business people to join us in the project, which aims to help the healthcare system by relieving the pressure that hospitals can come under,” Ionuț Ardeleanu, general manager of Auchan Retail Romania, explained.

(Photo: Sala Polivalenta Cluj Facebook Page)