Vucic: Subotica Hospital Worth 90 Million Euros

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced on Thursday, September 4, that the overhaul of Subotica’s General Hospital will cost around 90 million euros. The announcement came during a tour of North Backa County that began around 9:55 a.m. with a visit to the Cupic family in Palic. From there, the president continued on to the Gerontology Center in Subotica, the Stankovic farm in Bagremovo, the Topola Meat Industry in Backa Topola, and the Agrokons company in Mali Idjos.

The stops followed a schedule the president had laid out earlier that same day: Palic at 10 a.m., the Gerontology Center in Subotica at 10:45, the farm in Bagremovo at 11:45, the factory in Backa Topola at 12:30, and the company in Mali Idjos at 1:10 p.m. Throughout the visit, Vucic spoke about investment in health care, industry, and infrastructure across this part of Vojvodina.

The hospital in Subotica and a new factory

According to the president, the first phase of construction at Subotica’s General Hospital, not counting equipment, is estimated at around 60 million euros. Once equipment is factored in, the total value of the project climbs to roughly 90 million euros. Vucic said the rebuild is expected to begin in the second half of next year.

The same day, Vucic confirmed that a contract with an automotive company is expected to be signed in mid-September, bringing around 200 new jobs to Subotica’s business zone. He said the company’s name would be made public in about ten days. The president also announced that a rail line to Budapest should open within the next month, cutting travel time to the Hungarian capital.

Fewer unemployed than before 2012

The president said Subotica currently has around 3,000 unemployed residents, down from roughly 12,000 in 2012, according to his figures. He pointed to the low birth rate in this part of Vojvodina as a problem.

The Bagremovo to Milesevo road: one stretch now, the rest in March

In Bagremovo, the president discussed the road to Becej, the Bagremovo to Milesevo stretch, with local residents. It is a single 25 kilometer road that residents told the president is in poor condition. Vucic announced that the first section, eight kilometers long, will be built right away, with machinery due to arrive within seven to ten days, while the rest of the road should be finished in March. He also announced that project documentation would be drawn up for a sewage network in the municipality of Backa Topola.

Speaking with local officials, the president also warned that road conditions in Central Banat need special attention.

“Central Banat has the worst roads of all!” Vucic said, adding that most road works still remain focused on central Serbia, even though, in his words, Zitiste, Secanj, and Kumane are among the towns with the poorest road networks.

Pensions and pay in social welfare

At the Gerontology Center in Subotica, the president told pensioners to expect a payment of 6,000 dinars on September 22, and announced higher pensions from December without specifying a percentage. He also said workers in social welfare institutions will get a bigger pay raise than other public sector employees: five percent if others get three percent, or twelve percent if others get a raise of seven to eight percent.

During the tour, the president also estimated that Serbia needs around 20 billion euros to fix its water supply and road infrastructure, a figure he described as close to the country’s entire budget.

The tour of North Backa County fits a pattern of similar visits the president has announced for the coming days, in which he has so far promised investment in health care, industry, and roads using the same formula: a specific sum, a specific deadline, and the name of the company or institution behind the project. Whether the mid-September and December deadlines hold will first be tested by the signing of the contract with the promised factory in Subotica.