Clarifying the Truth: Updates on North and Santa Cruz Hospital Construction Projects in Medellín

2023-06-06 23:17:15

06/06/2023

The Secretary of Health of Antioquia, Ligia Amparo Torres, denied this Tuesday that the Medellín Mayor’s Office has filed a project for the construction of the North Hospital and clarified that regarding the expansion of the infrastructure of the Santa Cruz hospital unit The guarantees have not been given to proceed with the works because the district administration has not corrected some observations that were made to the project.

Everything arose in the government council of mayor Daniel Quintero, this Monday, where its Strategic Projects manager, Johan Londoño, stated that since September of last year they have “everything ready to start the work on the Hospital del Norte”, but that they have not received technical guarantees from the Government of Antioquia. Given what has been said, the mayor asked him to request accompaniment from the Superintendency of health.

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After this episode, the Antioquia Health Secretariat issued a statement on Tuesday to clarify the situation: “Following erroneous and inaccurate information that has circulated among public opinion, the Antioquia Governor’s Office clarifies that, in the Sectional Secretariat of Health and social protection, To date, there is no filed project related to the construction of the Hospital General del Norte in Medellín”.

They also indicated that the only project filed is the so-called “Expansion of the hospital unit infrastructure of Santa Cruz Medellín”, which Metrosalud filed with the Antioquia Health Secretariat. However, this was returned following its review, on May 19, because it had observations regarding adjustments that had to be made, but to date the Mayor’s Office has not made the corrections, as confirmed by the secretary Ligia Amparo Torres.

For his part, the manager of Strategic Projects of Medellín also indicated that they are stranded because the Government has not given them technical guarantees for other infrastructure works in the health network. “Not only the Hospital del Norte, but the 13 physical intervention processes of the hospital units that we have pending with the Governor’s Office,” said the official.

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From the Government they indicated that in addition to the expansion mentioned in the Santa Cruz unit, the “only Metrosalud initiative in progress in the Antioquia Health Secretariat is the technical document of the study of supply, demand and installed capacity of the expansion of the emergency services, dentistry and pharmacy of the San Javier hospital unit, which was filed on June 1, 2023”.

They clarified that this is not a project, but a previous step to proceed with its development. They concluded that There is no other pending project or technical document filed by the Medellín Mayor’s Office or its entities for review by the departmental institution.

The truth is that Daniel Quintero reiterated on his Twitter account what was said in the government council: that they already have the designs for the Hospital del Norte ready, but that they are waiting for the Medellín Council to give them Free way to transfers from EPM for an additional $330,000 to carry out this and other projects: “Hospital del Norte, we finished designs. We are waiting for the Council to unfreeze EPM’s resources,” said the president.

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