New OUH will not receive patients in 2027 after fresh delay

Patients will not move into New OUH, the new hospital in Odense, in 2027, DR reports. The Italian main contractor OHPT and the Region of Southern Denmark had agreed that the hospital would be ready by then.

However, the region says OHPT cannot hand over the buildings on time. That leaves too little time to move in equipment and train staff before the hospital is due to open.

Bo Libergren, chair of the Region of Southern Denmark’s regional council, said he was extremely disappointed that the project would not meet the agreed schedule.

“I can certainly understand that the conditions have been difficult, when two major subcontractors have gone bankrupt. But it is the main contractor’s responsibility to navigate these circumstances and bring the hospital to completion by the agreed deadline,” he said in a press release.

Buildings falling behind schedule

The project has faced several delays and problems with subcontractors. In June, frustrated Italian and Romanian workers blocked the entrance to the construction site because their employer had not paid their wages.

The region said the first building in the hospital complex had already missed its agreed handover deadline of July 31. It now considers it certain that the remaining buildings will also be significantly delayed.

OHPT has asked for more time to complete the construction. The contractor has cited several reasons for the delays, including requested changes from the client, lengthy approval processes with authorities and unusual weather conditions.

Asked by DR for comment, OHPT spokesperson Christian Lemvigh said in a written response: “We are in good dialogue with the project organisation about maintaining progress on the construction.”

The Region of Southern Denmark has twice asked the ministry to increase the project’s borrowing limit. In 2024, it requested an increase of 985 million kroner, followed in 2025 by a request for a further approximately 500 million kroner.

New OUH is intended to be Denmark’s largest newly built superhospital. The Region of Southern Denmark is the client, while the Italian Odense Hospital Project Team, known as OHPT, is the main contractor. OHPT is backed by the Italian groups CMB and Itinera.

The project has a site area of more than 800,000 square metres and a floor area of 247,000 square metres. It is planned to include about 10,000 rooms, 912 beds, 496 outpatient and examination rooms, and 52 operating theatres. The hospital was originally due to be completed in 2022 but has been delayed several times.