MOP Minister leads groundbreaking ceremony for La Serena Hospital: USD$278 million to be invested

Press release from the Ministry of Public Works of Chile

This is an automated translation of the press release issued in Spanish

The Minister of Public Works , Jessica López, together with the presidential delegate of Coquimbo, Galo Luna; the regional governor, Darwin Ibacache, the director of the Coquimbo Health Service, Ernesto Jorquera, and authorities of the Coquimbo Region participated in the ceremony in which the first stone of the La Serena Hospital was installed.

The healthcare facility will be highly complex and when it comes into operation during the second half of 2028, it will benefit more than 750,000 people and almost 1,500 cancer patients from the Coquimbo and Atacama regions. The work will be carried out within the framework of a public-private partnership and involves an investment of US$278 million.

The Minister of Public Works, Jessica López, stressed that “this new hospital in La Serena, together with the hospital being built in Coquimbo, both of high complexity, and the medium complexity hospital to be built in Illapel, will radically change the situation of hospital infrastructure in the Coquimbo Region. The quality of health in Chile, an important part, is based on adequate infrastructure and corresponding professional services.”

The director of the Health Service of the Coquimbo Region, Ernesto Jorquera, indicated that “our obligation is to harmonize a healthcare network and each hospital plays a complementary role with others, providing services to the communities. Therefore, the infrastructure, which is key to good care, and all the other works related to the improvement of access, the bypasses, so that the hospitals are also connected to each other and when urgent care is required, patients can also arrive as quickly as possible, are appreciated.”

Presidential delegate Galo Luna said that “we are moving forward as a government in providing better health care to the population. This was an outstanding debt, it cost us a lot, we risked everything from the region so that this hospital could be developed, the project was paralyzed and the contract is now a reality, as we said and as the president promised during his visit, we are going to continue with this work that will undoubtedly change the lives of citizens.”

A total of 125,284 m2 will be built and its facilities will include 673 beds, 15 pavilions, 6 comprehensive delivery rooms, consultation and emergency rooms. In addition, it includes facilities for oncology and nuclear medicine services, which were a highly felt demand in the region.

In terms of employability, at the peak of the works there will be 1,800 workers.

The Ministry of Public Works, through the Concessions Directorate , has 20 hospitals in different stages of development, some with construction and others awarded or in design. These 20 hospitals will represent an investment of more than US$2.4 billion and will provide the health system with 4,271 beds (critical, medium and basic) and 140 surgical wards. Added to this portfolio is the Hospital de Chile Chico , mandated to the MOP Architecture Directorate, for an investment of more than $30 billion pesos.

MOP submits environmental impact study of El Panul desalination plant to SEA

Minister Jessica López, together with the National Director of Concessions, Juan Manuel Sánchez, submitted to the Environmental Assessment Service of the Coquimbo Region the Environmental Impact Study (EIA) of the desalination project announced by President Gabriel Boric in El Panul that will supply drinking water to the Coquimbo-La Serena conurbation.

The desalination project, which will be built and operated through the concession system, seeks to significantly improve the region's water security by providing a stable source of water that is resilient to changing climate conditions.

Minister López indicated that “Aguas del Valle had made progress in the environmental impact studies of the desalination plant project that was included in its development plan. We have taken those studies, acquired those studies, so that now the State of Chile directly, through the General Directorate of Concessions, will proceed to execute this project.”

He added that “we hope to have a result, hopefully, as soon as possible, that will allow us to begin the works. In parallel, the Ministry will continue to advance in the bidding process that we will carry out during the month of November and we hope, during the year 2025, to have the award to begin the works.”

The Environmental Assessment Service has a period of five days to admit the study for processing and then a period of 180 business days to request new information and approve the EIA.