A major new hospital is under construction in the Ecuadorian Capital, Quito. It is being constructed by the major Ecuadorian developer ProInmobiliaria, which has teamed up with Universidad San Francisco de Quito and the international operator from Colombia Administradora Country Clinic. The Universidad will supply the doctors and the personnel who will provide the services and the Administradora clinic will provide the model for the administration of the new hospital.
Construction of the $25 million Hospital de los Valles began in mid 2003 and completion is scheduled for the end of 2004.
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When built, the new Hospital will provide services for more than 25,000 homes located in the Tumbaco Valley, the Chillos and important housing sectors to the east of Quito. This population of 100,000 inhabitants is growing rapidly. The particular site of the hospital was governed by a number of factors including the proximity of airports and transport facilities.
The developers are currently financing the project through the sale of stocks, and welcome foreign investment. This project is part of a global plan that includes the construction of other hospital facilities such as the Clinica de la Costa in Guayaquil and the Country Clinic of Bogota.
The new structure is something of a prestige project both for the government of Ecuador and ProInmobiliaria. For ProInmobiliaria it is the largest healthcare project it has built in Ecuador. The government, desperately keen to achieve stability after recent coups, feels the need to demonstrate its credentials in terms of healthcare, as this was one of the causes of the national unrest since 1998. This desire explains the comprehensive range of services that the hospital will offer, though its location in Quito has already led to accusations that rural areas are being neglected.
HOSPITAL DE LOS VALLES FACILITIES
The new hospital will have 100 rooms, eight surgery rooms, 80 doctor’s offices, imaging, laboratory, blood bank, emergency, trauma centre, morgue and heliport.
The hospital will have the capacity to carry out to 49 daily operations. There will also be the capacity to treat 13 patients in emergencies. The neonatal clinic will be able to handle 1,500 births per annum.
Other services will include gynaecology, obstetrics, paediatrics, general surgery, surgery cardio vascular, neurology, orthopaedics, etc.
Given the high rates of addiction in this area, the hospital will also be equipped for the efficient processing of overdoses and rehabilitation of drug addicts.
IMPORTING MEDICAL EQUIPMENT
It is estimated that approximately $14 million will be assigned to the purchase of equipment.
Any import of medical equipment and supplies requires an import permit issued by any bank registered with the Central Bank. Medical equipment is classified under Tariff Schedules 9018 and 9022 and is subject to an import duty of 0% to 15%. In addition, taxes of 12% value-added tax (IVA), 0.05% modernization fee, 0.025% for the Exports and Investment Promotion Corporation-CORPEI, and 0.5% for the Children’s Development Fund are also required. With the exception of the 0.025%, which is charged on the FOB value, all other charges are based on the CIF value of the merchandise.
Importing certain types of medical equipment and supplies requires a sanitary registration certificate issued by the Ministry of Health. Laboratory analysis for medical equipment and supplies may either be conducted by the Ministry of Health’s National Hygiene Institute Izquieta Perez or by the accredited laboratories.
Medical equipment classified under HS 9022 requires prior authorization from the Ecuadorian Atomic Energy Commission.
SOUTH AMERICAN HEALTHCARE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
This hospital is connected with other health construction projects in Colombia. These kinds of transnational projects are becoming increasingly the norm in South America, both in terms of new hospitals and other infrastructure.
