Authorities Announce Heredia Hospital Plans

Residents of the Central Valley city of Heredia, capital of the northern province of the same name, may have a new 200-bed hospital as soon as 2009, Casa Presidencial announced last week.

The new hospital would lessen the load on the oft-criticized 117-year-old San Vicente de Paúl Hospital, currently the only hospital for approximately 418,000 area residents. The proposed public hospital, which would be built by a private company, is planned 400 meters south of the San Vicente Hospital, according to a statement from Casa Presidencial.

The project will go out for public bid within a month, according to Eduardo Doryan, president of the Social Security System (Caja). He said in a statement the hope is to begin construction on the hospital in 2007 and open it in 2009.