A landmark public-private partnership (PPP) project, advised on by the Squire Patton Boggs Warsaw office, was recognized as one of two transactions that required “special legal artistry” during the annual Ranking of Law Firms Gala, held by Polish daily newspaper Rzeczpospolita on June 7.
The project, the construction and equipment financing of Żywiec Hospital by BGK (Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego), the Polish state-owned bank, is the first PPP healthcare facility in Poland. The Squire Patton Boggs team, led by partner Peter Swiecicki and including senior associate Malgorzata Olech, advised InterHealth Canada Limited on the borrower in the transaction, which is structured as an “integrated public-private partnership” (facilities and clinical operations). InterHealth Canada will operate and manage the new facility in Żywiec.
“It was a truly landmark transaction,” commented Peter Swiecicki. “InterHealth Canada was awarded the first healthcare PPP project of this type in Poland. No doubt, this project will become a blueprint for hospitals in Poland with similar characteristics, and it is likely to become a part of a systemic solution for Polish healthcare.”
Malgorzata Olech added: “It was a great privilege to be involved in such a pioneering project. Due to the specific nature of health services funding in Poland, the implementation of the project required developing a novel model that secures the interests of the public party and the private partner, as well as those of the financial institutions.”