El Espino Health Center Remains Without Power; Services Partially Maintained

The El Espino health center in La Chorrera is still without power following damage to its electrical distribution system. Firefighters conducted a technical inspection on Wednesday, determining that further adjustments are necessary before service can be restored.

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We still need to make some adjustments that will be carried out today. We are confident that by tomorrow afternoon, the electrical flow could be restored.

Jorge Melo, the regional director of the Ministry of Health (Minsa) in Panamá Oeste, explained that an inter-institutional effort is underway to fix the detected deficiencies in the medical facility's electrical installation. "We still need to make some adjustments that will be carried out today. We are confident that by tomorrow afternoon, the electrical flow could be restored," Melo stated. He clarified that medical services have not been suspended and are being temporarily provided at the El Espino basketball court and the Santa Rita health post.

Melo assured that medical personnel continue to offer services during morning hours while repairs and technical evaluations are completed. "The well-being of the population is a priority. Even if we operate at half capacity for a few days, we will not cancel services," he affirmed, adding that laboratory services also remain available, with samples taken at the center and sent to other facilities for processing.

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The well-being of the population is a priority. Even if we operate at half capacity for a few days, we will not cancel services.

The health center, over 20 years old, requires a complete electrical system redesign. Past expansions and electrical connections were made without proper technical order, leading to an overloaded and disorganized amperage. Melo stated that they are taking necessary decisions to address this, with support from Minsa's Infrastructure Department and specialists from the Technological University of Panama.

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It was a health center that created departments with a disordered amperage load. We will not be participants in that and are making the decisions that must be made.

Authorities are awaiting certification from the fire department to allow controlled electrical load while the comprehensive modernization project is executed. The recommendation was not to activate the full amperage yet, as the load might exceed capacity. The El Espino health center serves over 300 patients daily from various sectors of La Chorrera and Capira.

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The recommendation in the day of today was not to activate the total amperage of the center yet because the load can be greater. The ideal is to leave the work 100% and not halfway.