The governor of Santiago, Claudio Orrego, together with the mayor of San Joaquín, Cristóbal Labra, will formalize an agreement this Sunday for the construction of the first public veterinary clinical hospital in the Metropolitan Region.
The project involves an investment of $5,449 million and will be financed by the Government of Santiago.
Its objective will be to provide specialized medium- and high-complexity veterinary care to dogs and cats, complementing the primary care currently provided by municipalities.
"Many families can access a basic veterinary consultation, but not surgery, hospitalization, or an ICU. This hospital comes to close that gap and guarantee higher-complexity care to those who need it most," highlighted Governor Orrego.
For his part, Mayor Labra pointed out the importance of this being the first public 24/7 veterinary clinical hospital in the country.
"We are not only marking a milestone in public health and animal welfare, but we are also demonstrating that, from the municipalities, together with the Regional Government, we can lead major transformations that impact the entire region," emphasized the local official.
Project features
The facility will be located on land provided by the municipality of San Joaquín and will have an area of 1,452 square meters distributed across three floors and a terrace.
The hospital will have six consultation rooms, two procedure rooms…
AI Brief
Your highlights
The governor of Santiago, Claudio Orrego, together with the mayor of San Joaquín, Cristóbal Labra, will formalize this Sunday an agreement for the construction of the first public veterinary clinical hospital in the Metropolitan Region. The project involves an investment of $5,449 million and will be financed by the Santiago Regional Government. Its objective will be to provide specialized veterinary care of medium and high complexity to dogs and cats, complementing the primary care currently provided by municipalities. "Many families can access a basic veterinary consultation, but not a surgery, hospitalization, or an ICU. This hospital comes to close that gap and guarantee higher-complexity care to those who need it most," Governor Orrego highlighted. For his part, Mayor Labra pointed out the importance of this being the first public 24/7 veterinary clinical care hospital in the country. "We are not only marking a milestone in public health and animal welfare, but we are also demonstrating that, from the municipalities, together with the Regional Government, we can lead major transformations that impact the entire region," the local leader emphasized.
Project features
The facility will be located on land provided by the municipality of San Joaquín and will have an area of 1,452 square meters distributed over three floors and a terrace. The hospital will have six consultation rooms, two procedure rooms, two fully equipped surgical operating rooms, surgery preparation and recovery areas, and differentiated hospitalization for dogs and cats. It will also have a Veterinary Intensive Care Unit (ICU), a clinical laboratory, and an imaging unit equipped to perform X-rays and ultrasounds.
Municipal referral model
The facility will not be an open-access veterinary clinic, and animals' admission to the future hospital will be through referral from municipal primary veterinary care. Municipal teams will initially evaluate patients and determine when they require specialized services. Targeting will consider the Social Registry of Households (RSH), prioritizing families belonging to the 40% with the highest socioeconomic vulnerability.
Among the projected pathologies and procedures are fractures and trauma, operable tumors and cancers, urinary obstructions, complex respiratory diseases, cardiac and endocrine pathologies, kidney failure, hernias, and traumatological surgeries.
The Santiago Regional Government (GORE) highlights that the project is part of a regional investment of more than $18 billion allocated and projected during the period for animal welfare initiatives. "We have advanced with sterilizations, responsible pet ownership, and mobile veterinary clinics, and now we take a new leap," Governor Orrego stated.
In addition to the $5,449 million allocated for the construction, fit-out, and equipment of the hospital, there is a Regional Specialized Veterinary Care Program currently being formulated, which considers an estimated investment of $5,761 million to finance clinical services, specialized human resources, medical supplies, and continuity of care.
The construction of the public hospital aims to advance from primary veterinary care toward a regional network capable of resolving more complex cases, especially those in which the cost of surgery, hospitalization, or specialized treatment constitutes a barrier for families.