Guatemala City, January 17 (Prensa Latina) Guatemala's new Minister of Health, Oscar Cordón, today announced the implementation of an urban master plan to equip and staff peripheral centers in the short term.
The hospital owner, when he visited San Juan de Dios Hospital in order to evaluate its conditions, explained that he had already obtained the full study so that the rest of the institutions could provide 24-hour emergency service.
The authority pointed out that the issue of space is one of the most urgent issues that must be resolved in this facility, as it was built more than 40 years ago for a specific category of population and has exceeded its capacity.
He stressed that compared to decades ago when the health system was established, the population has changed, not only in numbers, but also in habits.
He stated that one of the things that generate the most expenses in the hospital is trauma, due to the increase in motorcycle accidents.
He described the violence in the country as an epidemic, due to the strong impact on the health system of patients who fall victim to armed attacks, among other criminal acts.
The current presidential duo, Bernardo Arevalo and Karen Herrera, took office last Sunday and focused on fighting corruption and promising a new spring.
They are seeking to implement measures to improve the health system, such as establishing centers to improve care and creating a network of state pharmacies.
Nearly 60 percent of the country's population (17.2 million people) uses the public health system, and according to the Development Foundation, Guatemala is the Central American region least invested in this area.
Most of the money goes to operation, not investment, according to the general analysis of that entity.
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