QCOSTARICA — According to the Infrastructure and Technology Management of the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS), the National Hospital of Geriatrics and Gerontology would be completely ready by 2032.
The Health Board of the Hospital Nacional de Geriatría y Gerontología Raúl Blanco Cervantes expressed its disagreement with the timelines approved last Thursday by the Board of Directors of the CCSS.
Alicia Avendaño, president of this Health Board, requested that the CCSS authorities review the schedule presented, since she considers that it is “inflated” in time and is the same schedule that was presented to them almost 4 years ago.
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We cannot wait until 2032 to have a new hospital, there are actions that can be carried out in parallel, taking into account that the CCSS already has 60% of the land in order to begin with the feasibility studies and accelerate the expropriation process of the remaining 40% of land, applying the new Expropriation Law, which we have information that will come into effect in about two months, Avendaño indicated.
She also questioned the decision of the CCSS Board of Directors to establish a deadline for an evaluation of compliance with the proposed schedule every 6 months because he believes that it should be done in the best of cases every week or at least once a month.
Avendaño assures that the attention of seniors “in other hospitals the treatment is different” and stressed the importance of the elderly population having access to specialized personnel trained in this care.
Likewise, the legislator of the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN), Katherine Moreira, expressed her concern with the development of the project.
The legislator, who is president of the Legislative Commission on Disability and Senior Citizens, indicated that the first stage is planned for 2030 and the complete work by 2032.
Moreira asks the CCSS to speed up the process and not allow “the health of our senior citizens to be trapped in bureaucracy.”
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Occupancy exceeds 100%
The need for a new hospital cannot wait. The current hospital facility located in downtown San José is on the verge of collapse and at risk of technical closure.
Avendaño stated that the elderly population continues to increase and the Government is not actively addressing the aging curve that the country is experiencing. In addition, the building presents “overcrowding and structural damage” that prevents care for those over 65 years of age.
“The hospital staff is doing everything possible! But we are already at 100% and the numbers are on the rise. We are overwhelmed! We are already turning away older adults because we have 140 beds full. They almost have to queue to be seen!” Avendaño warns.
“It is not possible to attend to the number of people who arrive at the medical center (…) there is no capacity to care for the elderly! The nursing home is national in nature but it does not provide care 24 hours a day or on weekends. If an elderly person falls ill, where do they go? We are overwhelmed in the emergency service: we have capacity for 40 people and we care for 100.” stated Avendaño last month.
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The Blanco Cervantes
The Hospital Nacional de Geriatría y Gerontología Raúl Blanco Cervantes was inaugurated in 1958. At first it was opened to treat patients with tuberculosis. During the mid-1970s, it transitioned into a medical facility specializing in care for the elderly.
According to the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC), Costa Rica has a population of 550,000 senior citizens (almost 11% of the country’s population) and projects that by 2050, senior citizens will double, representing 20% of the population.
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