Northern Chile. The Servicio de Salud Atacama shows under “Nuestra Red” (our network) a healthcare overview. For instance in Copiapó with some 130’000 inhabitants within the silver and copper mining district. And it is surrounded by the driest desert – Atacama.
Healthcare. For instance the Hospital Regional de Copiapó.
The engaged rebuild is going since 2009, will be finished this year in 2015.
The new area (superficie) covers 8801 m2. The basic services: Pediatría, Ginecología y Obstetricia, Traumatología, Urología, Cirugía Infantil, Cirugía y Medicina interna.
Some 280 beds (camas), 3000 medical products in the depot.
An impressive development in desert hospital healthcare since 1894.
Since there is no figure available about the number of employees, the statistical directorate of Atacama
(Dirección Regional de Estadísticas de Atacama) delivers some growth figure about staff and bed development in that area 2003-2011 within the annual report 2014. In total about some 1000 employees for all healthcare providers and some 500 beds. The Hospital Regional Copiapó assumption including new development would be around 400 employees. Comparison to Zurich, Switzerland: The public Stadtspital Waid offers 261 beds and some 780 fulltime positions which correspond to a bit more than 1000 employees.
Another proof that healthcare is an “emerging market” – not only in urban areas.
Maurice Codourey
The WOW hospitals blog 
One thought on “Not much rain, the Atacama desert around, 5 hospitals”