MOP will begin construction of the new La Serena Hospital with an investment of US$271 million

Statement from the Ministry of Public Works of Chile

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

After having been suspended due to inconsistencies between the architectural medical program and the reference project, the Minister of Public Works , Jessica López, ratified this Friday the agreement with the Ministry of Health and the concessionaire company Acciona that will allow the construction of the new Hospital to proceed. from La Serena .

The agreement, which has already been signed by the Minister of Public Works to begin processing at the Ministry of Finance and subsequently be submitted to the Comptroller's Office, contemplates the authorization of a highly complex medical facility with a total of 125,384 m2 for an investment of US$271 million. The works will be carried out over a period of 4 years, so they should be completed during the second half of 2028.

“We have come to ratify on the ground the agreement reached, together with the Ministry of Health, with the concessionaire company and with a group of local actors and citizens, which will allow us to begin the long-awaited construction of the new La Serena Hospital as soon as possible,” he reported. the Minister of Public Works, Jessica López, after making an inspection visit to the land where the facility will be built.

The Secretary of State highlighted that the agreement incorporated the requirements to have a hospital that can provide better health care to more than 700 thousand inhabitants of the region. “The hospital includes different health benefits and specialties, including a strongly felt demand by the local community for oncological medical facilities and equipment. So it is very good news, which is in line with the hospital infrastructure plan that we are promoting throughout the country by order of President Gabriel Boric,” he stated.

The Minister of Health, Tomás Balaguer, indicated that “we are very satisfied and happy to have reached an agreement with the participation of government authorities, private institutions, health workers, and organized civil society.” , mainly in oncology patients, with whom we work hard to achieve this desire.”

For his part, the director of Infrastructure for the Southern Cone of Acciona, Diego Pini , pointed out that “as owners of the concessionaire company we are very satisfied with the signing of this agreement. Yesterday we received approval for Phase 2 of the hospital's engineering design, with a few small observations that the designers are adjusting. We are taking steps to obtain the building permit for preliminary works for the tasks that we are going to begin in the next 10 to 15 days. And at the end of August we will be able to begin the massive movement of soil, with the architecture completely approved. And from there, maintain the construction pace of this hospital as efficiently and quickly as possible.”

The new hospital will have a total of 668 beds, distributed among 146 for critical patients, 332 medical-surgical beds, 90 gynecobstetric beds, 48 pediatric beds, 18 neonatological beds and 34 for adult psychiatry. In addition, 15 pavilions, consultation boxes, 6 comprehensive childbirth care rooms and emergency service.

During her visit to the land where the new La Serena Hospital will be built, the Minister of Public Works was accompanied by the general director of Concessions of the MOP, Juan Manuel Sánchez; the president of the Association of Public Infrastructure Works Concessionaires COPSA , Leonardo Daneri; parliamentarians, local authorities and representatives of health unions and the community.

The new La Serena Hospital is part of a portfolio of 20 concession hospitals, which are in different stages of development nationwide.