“Having this new building is a point of pride to further strengthen our sole purpose, which is to improve the health of residents of the canton.” With these words, Zinnia Cordero, director of the Nicoya Health Area, expressed appreciation after the official inauguration of the elegant structure located 100 meters west and 25 meters south of Coopeguanacaste in the San Martin neighborhood.
The inauguration ceremony took place on Friday, October 31, and was attended by Minister of Health Maria Elena Lopez, Vice Minister Fernando Llorca and the entire staff of the Nicoyan Area of Health.
The new headquarters of the Ministry of Health in Nicoya will allow the 27 officials of the institution to more comfortably attend to more than 300 transactions for the entire canton each month, which include procedures such as issuing health and operating permits, ID cards for handling food, and receiving complaints from service users, among others.
The building is two stories, has an elevator, comfortable restrooms, spacious and well-ventilated offices, parking, a meeting room and garden areas. A total of 293 million colones (about $545,000) was invested in the project, which was financed with funds from the Ministry of Health.
Dr. Cordero reminded people of the ventilation problems they had in the previous building and “the heat we had to endure. My office was 2×2”, she explained. Since the new offices are cooler and more comfortable, she assured that the officials will now be able to perform better.
For his part, Llorca, vice minister of health, acknowledged the efforts to improve infrastructure being made by the institution. “We have identified the sick buildings and today Nicoya has a healthy building,” he said.
During the presentation, a report was given on the inspections carried out by Ministry of Health officials with regards to Law 9028, which guarantees non-smoking areas. This report was provided by William Mario Acosta, who reported that they have made more than 200 inspections at various facilities in the canton and have provided information to more than 1,000 people.
The meeting ended with merriment to the sound of the marimba song “La Chinita” and various officials reciting bombas (a traditional style of humorous verses).
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