With CABEI's support, construction and equipment of the new Puntarenas hospital in Costa Rica is 85% complete.
• More than 350,000 people will benefit from the new structure and expansion of health services in the Central Pacific region of the country.
San José, November 11th, 2023 - With an impressive 85% completion rate, the new Monseñor Sanabria Hospital in Puntarenas is about to open its doors and ensure timely, modern and high quality health services to more than 350,000 Costa Ricans thanks to the support of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), which has played a key role in financing its construction and equipment.
The new hospital infrastructure consists of two innovative buildings, one with five levels that will offer specialized services such as hospitalization, outpatient surgery, emergencies, operating and delivery rooms, intensive care, gynecological oncology, medical oncology, chemotherapy, hemodynamics, optometry and cardiology, and another of one level that will house industrial, laundry, maintenance and supply areas, in addition to a heliport that will guarantee accessibility in critical situations and from places that are difficult to reach.
The new hospital will replace the old structure that had been severely affected by the Nicoya earthquake in 2015, and will expand its care capacity with 300 hospital beds and 32 neonatology beds, as well as 64 consulting rooms and 14 operating rooms. It will also enable the first semi-automated medicine dispensing service in the country.
The cost of the project is US$225 million, of which CABEI is financing US$130.4 million and the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS), the public institution in charge of social security in Costa Rica, is financing the remaining amount; a joint effort that demonstrates the commitment to the wellbeing of the population and sustainable development, which has also generated 2,000 direct jobs during the construction phase.
The CABEI funds come from the "Hospital Infrastructure and Equipment Renovation Program" approved for US$270 million for the Republic of Costa Rica, which was also used to build and equip new medical towers at La Anexión Hospital in Guanacaste and the Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia Hospital in San José.