QCOSTARICA — The delayed construction of the new hospital in Cartago by the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS) had resulted in Costa Rica’s well-known and respected expert, Marino Protti, speaking out publicly against bringing in experts in geology and earthquakes from California.
The California geologists have been called on to provide criteria on the viability of the construction of the new hospital located in El Guarco Valley, Cartago. However, Protti thinks that it is important to know the difference between working in the arid areas of California and a country like Costa Rica, given its characteristics.
That is the advice Protti, a seismologist at the Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico (OVISCORI) – Volcanological and Seismological Observatory, as given to Marta Esquivel, president of the CCSS, who considers it necessary for professionals from the United States to validate whether it is safe to build on the land in Cartago, Costa Rica, home of the Irazú and Turrialba volcanoes.
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“The tropical geologist and seismologist must develop a skill not required by his (American) counterpart working in other latitudes, to identify subtle features of the landscape, soil and subsoil that show recent tectonic activity. Therefore, bringing to Costa Rica or consulting with geologists and seismologists without that skill and data will not improve the existing capacity in the country,” said Protti.
One of the solutions to improve the precision in detecting faults in said area is the placement of at least 80 portable seismological stations (seismic nodes) that will complement the 20 that OVISCORI already has, for which it proposed a proposal already approved by the Office of Humanitarian Assistance of the United States Agency for International Development.
Such instruments, in Protti’s opinion, would allow mapping the location of the active faults in El Guarco and thus estimating their potential. It is expected that the California experts will arrive in Costa Rica in the coming months and be ready to work throughout the rest of the year, for which Protti urges residents to allow the placement of seismometers in the patio of their houses.
This week, authorities from the Colegio Federado de Ingenieros y Arquitectos (College of Engineers and Architects) defended regulations such as the Código Sísmico Nacional (National Seismic Code), which is sufficient to guarantee the viability of the Cartago hospital project that has generated great expectations and whose future is still uncertain.
Investing in a new hospital for Cartago is urgent given that the Max Peralta hospital has reached the maximum of its installed capacity and has structural and spatial limitations as reported by the Defensoría de los Habitantes (Ombudsman’s Office).
Among the limitations of the Max Peralta are overcrowded spaces for clinical work and for the care of patients.
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The Emergency Service is less than 300 square meters, is extremely overcrowded, with a capacity for 28 patients, for a hospital that regularly handles between seventy and ninety patients.
In addition, there is noise pollution, poor lighting, and ventilation that cause adverse environmental conditions.
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