A large crowd of doctors, government officials and local residents attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a new hospital on Sunday, September 10.
The privately operated health-care facility and medical complex is being built on a 6,400-square-meter lot on the Chapala-Jocotepec highway directly across the road from the Chula Vista golf club.
The estimated timeframe for completing the first phase of construction is 13 months.
The projected opening date is November 2018.
The hospital blueprint shows a layout for an emergency room, three surgical theaters, laboratory and radiology diagnosis units, an outpatient consultation area, hemodialysis and chemotherapy treatment units, a delivery room and neonatal ward, and eight private inpatient rooms.
The complex will also house commercial modules for diverse medical services and ample space for off-road parking.
The project was originally planned as an outgrowth of Clinica Maskaras, to be built in partnership with the Chapala municipal government, as announced in March 2014. It has since been reworked by a team of distinguished physicians and new investors, with the location changed to a significantly larger plot of land. Chapala’s current administration is lending its full backing, including approval of the construction permit.
Chapala Mayor Javier Degollado joined renowned high-tech medical diagnosis specialist Dr. Carlos Ramírez Aldrete in sharing the honor of setting the hospital’s cornerstone.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mascaras medical director and project point man Dr. Carlos Díaz del Castillo reflected on the partnership of a group of up-and-coming physicians that began 26 years ago and eventually evolved into establishing the clinic situated at the east end of Riberas del Pilar. Noting how their vision expanded to bring “first- and second-tier medical attention to the residents of the Lake Chapala shore,” he added with obvious pride and joy: “A modern hospital is born today, designed to withstand the present and short-term future demands.”