(ANSA) - BELGRADE, 15 AUG - The American band Metallica has donated 250,000 euros for the construction of the first oncology and radiotherapy hospital for children in Romania. The donation was made to the association building the clinic, Daruieste Viata (Gift Life), through the Metallica's non-profit foundation All Within My Hands, the foundations said on Facebook. The project, funded exclusively by private donors, foresees the construction of a hospital with 170 beds, radiotherapy bunkers for children under 14, ICU rooms, spaces of parents, relaxation areas for children. The construction began in 2018 and the estimated date of launch of the hospital is set for the end of 2020, the Daruieste Viata official website states.

According to Daruieste Viata, only 50% of children with cancer survive in Romania, while the average surviving rate in the EU is over 80%. "The donation made by Metallica has a special meaning to our project. On one hand, their music inspires and touches so many Romanians, and at the same time so many Romanians are inspired by and contribute to the establishing of the first Pediatric Oncology and Radiotherapy Hospital in Romania, in order to give children with cancer a chance to live," said Carmen Uscatu, president of the Daruieste Viata association.

The band Metallica hold a concert in Bucharest on August 14.

(ANSA).