MOP and MINSAL agree on construction of new Licantén Hospital

This is an automated translation of the original release published in Spanish.

Press release from the Ministry of Public Works of Chile

The Minister of Public Works, Jessica López, together with the director of the Maule Health Service, Marta Caro, and the mayor of Licantén, Marcelo Fernández, signed today an agreement by which the Ministry of Public Works will be mandated to build a new hospital for Licantén in the Maule Region.

This hospital will be of low complexity and will require an investment of more than 21 billion pesos.

According to the signed agreement, in September 2024 the MOP will call for tenders, during the first half of 2025, technical and economic offers will be received, and construction would begin in the second half of 2025. It is estimated that the new Licantén Hospital could begin operating during the first half of 2028.

The Minister of Public Works, Jessica López, stressed that “this activity is very significant for the population. Health is one of the most important elements for the people and the President's commitment that Licantén will have a hospital is what we are starting with. We are going to proceed with the calls for tenders for this work and we hope to be able to lay the first stone in the second half of 2025.”

The director of the Maule Health Service, Marta Caro, highlighted that all the processes to obtain the resources and authorizations to build the new Licantén hospital were done in record time, and announced that "we want to make this hospital more effective through technology, as we have already incorporated technology in the modular hospital, but we are also going to incorporate even more in the new hospital, so that this hospital is more effective."

She added that “one of the mandates I have from the minister is to strengthen the route here in Mataquito, because the coast must improve all its infrastructure. So that is also why we are working on the Iloca Cesfan, in case of any emergency, and also to have another facility in this district.”

The mayor of Licantén, Marcelo Fernández, highlighted that “this is progress, this is real, and this comes to twist the hand of fate with respect to the fact that previous floods could always have remained the same …. We are working with the Executive, with the municipality, with the community of Licantén to be able to give a signal that reconstruction can be done and we can draw concrete lines. And, therefore, we have set a goal for 2030, Licantén 2030, in which we can feel that we will be building, executing, or finishing in some cases, works that will directly benefit the reconstruction of our community, but above all also creating employment, creating investment, through public investment, and also in conjunction with the private sector.”

The current Licantén Hospital was completely damaged as a result of the two floods caused by the climatic event that affected the region in the months of June and August 2023.

The relocation of the Licantén Hospital was formulated by establishing that it is necessary to have a hospital facility located outside the flood area, which ensures compliance with accessibility standards, continuity of operation and safety of care for the community, in any emergency situation, that is, before, during and after the event.