Panama to demolish Montijo Health Center, invest $9 million in new facility

The Montijo Health Center in Panama's Veraguas province is slated for demolition due to severe structural damage, exacerbated by a recent earthquake felt across the country. The aging facility, over 70 years old, already showed significant deterioration before the tremor, with visible cracks in its columns posing a risk of collapse. The presence of asbestos in its materials further necessitates a complete teardown and rebuild.

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That health center will be ready in approximately 18 months, once the work begins.

Health Minister Fernando Boyd Galindo announced that the public bidding process for the new facility will be published soon, with demolition to commence after the contract is awarded. The project involves both removing the current infrastructure and constructing a new health center, estimated to take about 18 months to complete once work begins. This timeline means the community will face approximately two years of inconvenience.

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The column here is cracked. The earthquake finished demolishing or cracking it and it is about to collapse.

While demolition is pending, some services are being provided provisionally under tents at the health center's patio and at the Piedra school, facilitated by the Ministry of Education. Minister Boyd Galindo acknowledged that these temporary conditions are not ideal and apologized to residents for the disruption. The new facility represents an investment of $9 million. The Montijo Health Center serves approximately 7,000 people.

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Structures that are 70 years old, which contain asbestos material inside, even in the pipes, so all of this must be demolished and redone.