Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino visited the construction site of the new Hospital del Niño (Panama) on Thursday morning. The project will become the largest pediatric center in the country. Health Minister Fernando Boyd Galindo joined the presidential inspection tour.
The facility is rising along Avenida Balboa in the capital. Citizens have eagerly awaited this hospital for years. It promises to transform child healthcare services, especially for vulnerable populations. The government expects the hospital to open next year.
A $705.8 Million Investment in Child Health
The construction contract carries a price tag of $705.8 million. This includes equipment, maintenance, and the Maternity wing of Hospital Santo Tomás with adjacent areas. The project also covers garden restoration and remodeling of the La Abeja building. The main structure will be a 23-story enclosed building.
It will house 463 hospitalization beds, 116 consultation offices, and 17 operating rooms. The Hospital del Niño tower alone spans 89,518.5 square meters. Services will include outpatient care, emergency rooms, hospitalization, radiology, speech therapy, and a blood bank.
Dentistry, neonatology, laboratories, surgery, and intensive care units are also planned. The facility will offer physical medicine, rehabilitation, a burn unit, nephrology, and an adolescent ward. A pharmacy, morgue, research clinic, and biomedical department complete the list.
“We thank you very much in the name of the children who will benefit from this hospital,” President Mulino told workers on site. “This project will solve a gigantic problem. The old hospital can’t handle it anymore. Panama will take a great regional step by having first-world medical care made by Panamanians.” [Translated from Spanish]
The president extended congratulations to all workers laboring “at full speed” on the project. He recognized subcontractors and executives from the construction company Acciona. The company must deliver the completed hospital by December 2027.
Dozens of Health Projects Set for Licitations
Health Minister Boyd Galindo announced additional developments during the visit. Dozens of projects for new and renovated health facilities will begin the bidding process in May. Work will gradually start throughout the remainder of 2026.
The list includes the demolition and reconstruction of the Curundú Health Center at $14.5 million. The Cañazas Hospital project carries a $35.5 million budget. Building No. 7 for complementary services at Hospital Santo Tomás will cost $47 million. The Panama Norte Regional Hospital is valued at $72.5 million.
The new Joaquín Pablo Franco Hospital will require $82 million. Tonosí Hospital is budgeted at $22 million. The Metetí Hospital project reaches $110 million. Anita Moreno Hospital will receive $58 million. The Nuevo Veranillo Specialty Hospital has a $13.8 million budget.
The Ministry also plans to bid the new Metropolitan Health Region headquarters at $32 million. The Tocumen Polycenter will cost $22 million. The Nicolás A. Solano Hospital project is valued at $78 million. Several Minsa-Capsi facilities are also projected for bidding, including Cuipo at $17 million, Nueva Italia at $15 million, Río Sereno at $14.9 million, Llano Cartí at $22.9 million, and Puerto Caimito at $11.7 million.
President Mulino’s inspection marks a significant step forward for Panama’s healthcare infrastructure. The new children’s hospital represents the centerpiece of a broader national health investment strategy. Officials expect these projects to dramatically improve medical access across the country.