MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

New Regional Hospital for Punta Arenas.

Punta Arenas Mayor Jaime Jelincic announced that this coming week the regional government would be requesting the Chilean Public Health Ministry the building of a new regional hospital for Magallanes that should be operational in 2006.

The request follows a long and detailed assessment of hospital conditions in Punta Arenas that are scheduled to be refurbished and expanded according to a Chilean national hospital upgrading program.

"Remodelling the current hospital and medical public health network in the region would cost an estimated 28 to 30 million US dollars, and the building of new facilities with the latest advances 33 million US dollars, which given the figures and the investment involved is not that much more", said Mr. Jelincic.

"I think this is the great challenge looking into the future, and I have all my people in government working in the initiative".

Mr. Jelincic also revealed that Magallanes already has 16 million US dollars earmarked by the central government for the upgrading and expansion of the local hospital.

Jorge Flies, Chief Medical Officer in Punta Arenas confirmed that the cost difference between upgrading and building a new hospital "has shown that we should target the last option".

Mr. Flies added that the current area of the hospital is insufficient for the proposed expansion, "unless we demolish certain pavilions", and it seems more viable to make use of a six hectares plot of land to the north of Punta Arenas that has excellent access routes.

"The project is a "gigantic step" towards making Punta Arenas a leading medical centre in Chilean Patagonia and Antarctica", concluded Mr. Flies.