With an investment of 500 million pesos ($28 million USD), the construction of the new Faro del Mayab Hospital was inaugurated in north Merida on Monday April 4. This highly specialized medical facility, projected to open in 2018, will help to consolidate the state of Yucatan as the undisputed Medical Tourism leader in southeast Mexico.
Governor Rolando Zapata Bello officially waved the checkered flag for the start of construction to build this new project. Accompanied by Health Secretary Jorge Mendoza Mézquita, Zapata Bello said that this high-quality medical center will treat foreign and domestic patients with the latest technology providing world-class service.
In front of businessmen, state and municipal officials, Zapata Bello highlighted the State Government’s effort to provide investors the necessary conditions to carry out this project on Yucatecan soil.
During his message, Zapata Bello listed advances in air connectivity, hotel infrastructure and services, high levels of safety and high quality human capital, which are some of the elements that place Yucatan as a world-class national and international destination for medical tourism .
The Governor concluded mentioning that this new hospital will join the already existant health network that includes private and public medical facilities across the state, such as new areas at “Hospital O’Horán” and the new Maternity Hospital which is also under construction.
Mrs. Carmen Zavala García also spoke at the event as a representative of “Médica Sur”; she stated that Médica Sur is proud to announce this new branch in the state of Yucatán.
Médica Sur is the first hospital member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network outside of the U.S. This proves Médica Sur’s commitment to the well-being of their patients and to support their professional health care providers. In this way, they guarantee the best health care services available in all Mexico.
After a rigorous review process Médica Sur became the first international member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network. As a member, Médica Sur offers medical services that enable physicians to interact, share and collaborate with Mayo Clinic physicians to offer their patients the best possible medical treatment in Mexico and Latin America.
The President of the Council of Hospital Faro del Mayab, Juan José Ramirez Zapata, said the hospital, located in the Santa Gertrudis Copó colonia of north Merida, will occupy an area of 15,000 square meters, with 28,000 square meters of construction in a nine-story structure.
It will feature two different emergency rooms (one for children one for adults); blood bank, clinical laboratory, radiology department, surgery rooms, intensive care, endoscopy and pathology areas, as well as 20 different medical specialities. In the construction phase the project would generate 300 direct and 1,000 indirect jobs, and the facility will feature “green technology” to make it sustainable.
Ramírez Zapata ended up his speech stating that “Hospital Faro del Mayab” will become the best medical facility in all Southeast Mexico by far.
In his turn, the Secretary of Tourism Promotion, Saul Ancona Salazar said that Yucatan has great opportunities in the niche of health tourism, which in 2015 represented a nationwide economic impact of more than 78 billion pesos ($4.3 billion USD).
He also highlighted the competitive advantages the state of Yucatan offers due to its proximity to Canada and the United States, the direct flights from major cities such as Miami, Houston, Dallas, Toronto, Milan and Rome; and finally Ancona Salazar emphasized that by treating down here, foreign patients could save between 36 and 80 percent in costs.
The new hospital will attract national and international visitors, as a member of the Southern Medical Network and also because it will be the first in Merida bearing the certification from the Joint Commission International.
The Joint Commission International (JCI) works to improve patient safety and quality of health care in the international community by offering education, publications, advisory services, and international accreditation and certification. In more than 100 countries, JCI partners with hospitals, clinics, and academic medical centers; health systems and agencies; government ministries; academia; and international advocates to promote rigorous standards of care and to provide solutions for achieving peak performance.
By Alejandro Azcárate Varela for TYT