Construction of the future Chaco General Hospital is progressing through its initial phase, with earthworks, installation of construction site facilities, and arrival of the first piles that will form the foundation structure. The project will benefit approximately 150,000 people in the Western Region.
Earthworks are approximately 70% complete. Operational spaces for the development of the project have been installed, and the first 22 piles that will form the foundation structure of the healthcare facility have been delivered to the site.
The arrival of the pile driver and structural elements will allow excavation work to begin and progress on the foundations, considered one of the most critical stages of the project. In the area designated for construction facilities, containers that will serve as offices, operational spaces, and sanitary facilities for the construction personnel are already in place.
Surveying teams are carrying out layout and marking work to locate the piles that will support the future hospital infrastructure.
The hospital will have 44 inpatient beds and 21 intensive care beds, distributed across neonatal, pediatric, and adult areas. The facility will also include 19 outpatient consultation rooms and emergency care spaces, as well as four surgical centers dedicated to scheduled procedures and maternal care.
The infrastructure will include laboratory services, diagnostic imaging, pathology, transfusion medicine, dialysis, and pharmacy services. The hospital will be built on an 8.5-hectare plot assigned to the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare, with an approximate built area of 13,850 square meters.
In addition to clinical areas, the facility will feature accommodation, a kitchen and dining hall, laundry, a sterilization center, green areas, designated parking areas, a helipad, an effluent treatment plant, and hospital security systems.
The project is being carried out by the Western Health Consortium, which includes the firm Jiménez Gaona y Lima (JGL) linked to Grupo Cartes, under the technical supervision of the Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC) and the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare, with financing from Itaipu Binacional. The planned investment is G. 172,715,294,871.
Grupo Cartes has been involved in controversies, especially after the U.S. government designated Horacio Cartes, former president and current leader of the Asociación Nacional Republicana (ANR), as "significantly corrupt" in 2022, leading to the transfer of construction company shares to his sons. The MOPC minister, Claudia Centurión, who oversees the project, previously served as general manager of Jiménez Gaona y Lima before assuming her current role, raising concerns about conflicts of interest, although she has stated she recused herself from the process.