State sends $34 million  playing catch up on hospital beds

At least $34 million has been allocated by the government, to expand hospital capacity in various infrastructures to house patients with Covid-19 says a La Prensa report.

The pandemic forced the State, in this case the Ministry of Health (Minsa) and the Social Security Fund (CSS), to start something that it had not done for years: expand the capacity of hospitals to care for patients

The most notable investments in the province of Panama —in order of completion— are  the construction of the modular hospital in Albrook , for $6.9 million; the adaptation of 160 beds in the Figali Convention Center , for $1.4 million; the adaptation of the Covid Hospital in the City of Health , for $23.7 million, and the conditioning of about 100 beds in the Higher Technical Institute, for just over $ 1.3 million.

In other areas, such as Panama Oeste, a room for Covid-19 patients was set up for $ 365,626, and at the Luis Chicho Fábrega hospital, in Veraguas, another space was fitted out for $402,188.

In addition, an intensive care room (with 37 beds) in Figali is in the bidding process, whose price would range between $1.5 million and $1.9 million.

For Julio Osorio, secretary of the National Negotiating Medical Commission, the expansion of hospital capacity is necessary in this pandemic, but he considers that in some projects the amount is high.

The Minsa and the CSS had planned to have 1,636 additional beds by the end of this month throughout the country.

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