The Ministry of Health began the test phase, known as “marcha blanca,” for the new Huarmey Hospital in Áncash on April 20. This step is part of preparations ahead of the hospital’s official opening and aims to strengthen healthcare services in the province.
The new facility is expected to help reduce gaps in healthcare access in northern Peru. Officials say that a multidisciplinary team from the Ministry worked with regional authorities to ensure a smooth transition from the old hospital building to the new one, so that medical services continue without interruption.
According to information released by health authorities, representatives from several departments—including Operations, Equipment and Maintenance, Insurance and Service Exchange, Information Technology, and Decentralized Management—participated in this process. The hospital is classified as level II-1 and covers more than 11,000 square meters. It will gradually offer outpatient care, emergency services, pharmacy access, obstetric care, surgery facilities, hospitalization units, laboratory diagnostics, imaging services, and rehabilitation.
The hospital has modern medical equipment such as 3D and 4D ultrasound machines, anesthesia devices, laparoscopic towers, autoclaves for sterilization needs, fixed and portable X-ray machines. It also includes two new ambulances intended to improve specialized care and emergency response capacity.
After launching its test operations phase (marcha blanca), two patients received care at the facility: a 30-year-old man was hospitalized for multiple cellulitis under medical supervision; another patient—a pregnant woman—was referred to Eleazar Guzmán Barrón Regional Hospital in Chimbote.
Construction was carried out by Peru’s National Health Investment Program using a Works for Taxes (OxI) model through an agreement with Compañía Minera Antamina. The total investment exceeded S/227 million. The Ministry said it remains committed to advancing strategic projects aimed at bringing quality healthcare closer to residents while prioritizing dignified and decentralized service.
