Shelters Beneath Hospitals: We Are Not Waiting – We Are Taking Action
At a press conference held today (28 July), Marshal Piotr Całbecki announced plans to construct shelters – or, more precisely, underground hospitals for use in the event of war – within the complexes of four regional healthcare facilities: the Regional Specialist Hospital in Toruń, the Oncology Centre in Bydgoszcz, the Specialist Hospital in Włocławek and the Mental Health Hospital in Świecie.
The projects are being prepared by Kujawsko-Pomorskie Medical Investments, a special-purpose company established by the regional government. Its president, Jarosław Wierski, reported that conceptual work is already at an advanced stage and that the projects have received a positive opinion from the Ministry of the Interior and Administration. The press conference was also attended by Sylwia Sobczak, Director of the Regional Specialist Hospital in Toruń, and Agnieszka Lisek-Charkiewicz, Director of the Department of Health at the Marshal’s Office.
“These underground hospitals will, of course, be smaller, and only essential medical procedures, such as surgery and diagnostics, will be carried out there. The facilities will be built to a dual-use standard, which means they will also serve practical purposes in non-crisis situations. Similar solutions implemented in Finland are a model for us,” Marshal Piotr Całbecki told journalists.
Director Sobczak emphasised that these investments are important not only because of the geopolitical situation. She recalled a bomb alert at the Regional Specialist Hospital in Toruń, during which the relevant emergency and security services were placed on standby and the evacuation of patients was seriously considered. Such an operation is always difficult and, in some cases, virtually impossible to carry out.
The facilities planned for the hospitals in Toruń, Bydgoszcz and Włocławek will be two-level shelters with a floor area of between 1,500 and 1,800 square metres, forming underground levels of future hospital buildings currently being designed.
Level -1 will generally serve as a temporary shelter for 450–500 people and will be used as a car park under normal conditions. Level -2 will provide secure space enabling hospitals to maintain essential medical functions during a crisis, including operating theatres, as well as shelter space for 300 people.
Due to the specific nature of the facility, the shelter planned for the Mental Health Hospital in Świecie will have a slightly different design. It will form the underground level (-1) of a planned sports and rehabilitation complex. The design will take into account requirements relating, among other things, to the need for continuous care or supervision of patients.
The shelter will have a floor area of 780 square metres and will accommodate 250 people. On a day-to-day basis, it will be used for patient rehabilitation and therapy, as well as a sports and recreational area.
All hospital shelters will be equipped with independent energy sources, water intakes, ventilation systems and air filtration systems.
The total estimated value of the investments is PLN 270 million. They will be financed through preferential loans provided by Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego via Chrobry, a state-owned special-purpose company managing the Security and Defence Fund component of the National Recovery Plan.
Beata Krzemińska
Press Spokesperson of the Marshal’s Office
28 July 2026
