New Illapel Hospital to Be Five Times Larger than Current Facility

Original article: Nuevo Hospital de Illapel será 5 veces más grande que el actual recinto

Health Minister Ximena Aguilera, alongside Undersecretary of Health Networks Bernardo Martorell and local authorities, participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for the future Dr. Humberto Elorza Cortés Hospital in Illapel.

The new facility will serve approximately 100,000 people, with an estimated investment of $160 billion for a total area of 50,216 m², resulting from a partnership between the Regional Government and the Ministry of Health.

According to the ministry, the new health center will feature «135 beds, medical-surgical services, 6 major surgery operating rooms, a critical patient unit, gynecology, obstetrics, and integrated childbirth services, along with 68 consultation rooms,» highlighting that it will be «five times larger than the current facility.»

Furthermore, the project includes the establishment of new units such as a Mental Health Hospitalization unit, an Ambulatory Dialysis Unit equipped with 20 chairs, and an Alternative Medicine unit, aiming to increase the healthcare workforce at the facility by 40%.

It is important to note that the construction of the new hospital was awarded to China Railway Construction Corporation (International) Limited, Chile branch, which signed the contract for civil works with the Coquimbo Health Service, with a projected construction timeline of 1,015 days.

This same Chinese company is responsible for building the new San Pablo Hospital in Coquimbo: «We have completed 35 hospital infrastructure projects nationwide, representing the largest hospital construction activity seen, which is quite evident in the region with the hospitals in Coquimbo, La Serena, and Illapel,» stated Health Minister Ximena Aguilera.

Regarding the Illapel hospital specifically, the Minister emphasized its «symbolic value, as it brings better care closer to a community far from higher-complexity establishments, contributing to equity, decentralization, and improved health opportunities.»

El Ciudadano