Reconstruction of Costa Rica hospital could be awarded soon

After a slow process to tender the reconstruction of Maximiliano Peralta Jiménez hospital in Cartago, Costa Rica, and amid financial problems affecting the country’s plans to build health infrastructure, a solution is finally in sight for the project, local media report. 

The 177bn-colón (US$325mn) contract to build the hospital could soon be awarded, after the architecture and engineering department of social security agency CCSS issued a recommendation to approve one of the bids. 

The document GIT-DAI-1905-2023, issued by the department, recommends that Promotora y Desarrolladora Mexicana de Infraestructura be awarded the construction contract. 

The contractor was deemed fit to carry out the works by presenting a reasonably-priced bid that was financially, legally, administratively and technically feasible, the document reads. 

This comes two years after the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (Cabei), which is funding the project, gave the go-ahead to tender the construction under Costa Rica’s procurement and administrative law. The tender was published in January 2022 under the ID number 2022LN-000001-0001104402, according to information on procurement website SICOP.

The idea behind the reconstruction is more than 15 years old and involves rebuilding Maximiliano Peralta Jiménez hospital (pictured) in a new location. The lack of funding and other administrative issues have been responsible for the delays. 

Financial issues

CCSS is reportedly suffering serious financial problems, which have resulted in the suspension of more than 50 projects, including the construction of several hospitals.

The agency's 10-year investment plan and plans to hire 12,000 employees were major financial risk factors that contributed to the lack of funds, newspaper La Nación reported in November.

In March, CCSS halted land acquisitions for projects in the tender stage and started compiling a database containing all available property with the aim of optimizing its limited resources.

NGOs and civilians filed complaints against the measures, arguing that their right to healthcare was being undermined by the suspensions. 

President Rodrigo Chaves said in March that “the situation [of CCSS] is critical, we cannot lie. There will be unions and certain groups saying ‘this is a scandal, they took away the investment portfolio,’ but we have a situation where the auditing firm [Deloitte] says it does not know what the situation of CCSS is.”

In April, CCSS executive director Marta Esquivel, said that the agency would focus its resources on building two regional hospitals: one in the city of Limón and the Maximiliano Peralta Jiménez hospital in Cartago, due to their importance. 

The financial feasibility of this project was approved in 2022 by the financial department of CCSS, crhoy.com reported.