The ceremony was addressed by President Alexander Stubb. The last time such a ceremony was held was almost 50 years ago.
The new Oulu University Hospital was inaugurated with a festive ceremony on Wednesday 23 October. The celebration was held in the main lobby of the new hospital’s Building A with around two hundred invited guests, and at best around 1600 spectators followed the event remotely.
The ceremony was addressed by the President of the Republic of Finland, Alexander Stubb, who noted in his speech the new hospital’s vision to be the smartest hospital in the world by the end of the decade. The President said this was an excellent goal, although he also stressed the importance of encountering people and the role that nursing professionals hold in this. In his speech, President Stubb also pointed to the last time that the Oulu University Hospital had celebrated a similar event. On that occasion, the guest of honour was the then President Urho Kekkonen.
The welcome speech was delivered by Tapani Tölli, Chairman of the Regional Board of North Ostrobothnia, and the speech of thanks was delivered by Ilkka Luoma, Director of the Wellbeing Services County of North Ostrobothnia. Bishop Jukka Keskitalo of the Diocese of Oulu blessed the new premises and the work carried out there. The event was hosted by Miia Turpeinen, Director of the University Hospital.
After the speeches, President Stubb and Kai Pajala, Chairman of the Regional Council of North Ostrobothnia, performed a ribbon-cutting ceremony using equipment brought from the hospital’s operating theatre. The ribbon was held by Terhi Nevala, Chief Physician, and Merja Meriläinen, Chief Nurse. The surgical instruments were handed over by Anitta Tanhua, Head of Nursing.
Buildings A and B of Oulu University Hospital, which are now starting their operations, will house the hospital’s functions that need to function 24 hours a day on every day of the year, such as intensive care, surgery, maternity and emergency services. The buildings also house a large part of the hospital’s in-patient wards.
Although the inauguration marks a major milestone for the Kontinkangas hospital campus, construction will continue for some time – Building F, currently under construction, is expected to be completed by summer 2025. In addition, the renovation programme includes Building C, which has not yet been decided but is planned for the coming years. In total, around 200,000 m2 of new buildings will be built on the campus. The total cost of the renewal programme is around €1.6 billion, of which new construction will account for around €900 million.