MEP Anthea McIntyre has welcomed a decision by the European Investment Bank to pump 108 million pounds into the building of a new major hospital in the West Midlands.
Once open in three years’ time the brand new Midland Metropolitan Hospital will provide state of the art acute healthcare for 530,000 people living in Sandwell and West Birmingham. It will include one of the largest accident and emergency departments in Europe.
At a total cost of 350m pounds, the hospital will provide 670 beds and 15 operating theatres, as well as a new public park.
The new accident and emergency department will replace emergency care facilities at City Hospital and Sandwell and is expected to treat more than 140,000 patients a year.
Miss McIntyre, Conservative MEP for the West Midlands, said: "This is great news for West Birmingham and the region generally.
"This huge investment will provide much-needed health facilities to the highest standards - and at the same time it will provide a huge boost to the regional economy. This is new money for a new hospital and new jobs.
"It is the first support for a hospital from the new European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), created to stimulate the economy with 315 billion euros of new investment across Europe."