The Hospital "La Capitanía" in Antigua Guatemala, Sacatepéquez, marked its first year of operations after being elevated from a consultorio to hospital status by the Instituto Guatemalteco de Seguridad Social (IGSS) Board of Directors. This change was made official through Acuerdo Número 1553 in 2024, with the hospital inaugurated on December 5 of that year.
The main goal of the upgrade was to decentralize medical services and expand healthcare coverage for IGSS beneficiaries. In its first year as a hospital, "La Capitanía" admitted about 800 pediatric and adult patients. The facility reported providing 123,872 outpatient consultations and handling 51,614 general emergency cases according to its statistics department.
Yenifer Vásquez, a patient at the hospital, said: “I thank each person who works at this Hospital. I am happy my baby was born here because we did not have to travel to the Capital. Everyone has been very attentive and kind to me and my baby; they have provided good service and it shows they love their profession.”
The hospital’s clinical laboratory conducts around 350,000 tests annually. Sacatepéquez now has 102,761 IGSS beneficiaries who receive care in specialties such as general medicine, internal medicine, general surgery, traumatology, gynecology, prenatal care (obstetrics), pediatrics, dentistry, psychology, and nutrition.
Dulce Hernández, mother of a pediatric patient treated for respiratory issues at the hospital stated: “I thank IGSS of Antigua for the good treatment given to my baby. Thanks to the care received he is now better.”
To improve response times for patients with common illnesses, service hours have been extended until 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. Appointment scheduling across all specialties remains staggered to reduce wait times.
A third shift has been added in the Hemodialysis Unit. This benefits a total of 128 patients—most from Sacatepéquez and others from Chimaltenango—who receive four-hour treatments three times per week.
The implementation of the COEX Digital electronic medical record system is part of efforts to modernize operations by digitizing medical orders for affiliates and reducing paper use.
The hospital also organizes preventive health campaigns in various companies throughout Sacatepéquez. Officials say projects are ongoing to ensure efficient access to social protection for local IGSS beneficiaries. These include expanding hospital equipment, opening more outpatient clinics, upgrading X-ray machines, and establishing an Integrated Care Center for Renal Patients (CAIER).
Additional services at Hospital La Capitanía include round-the-clock emergency care with a delivery room; hemodialysis unit; inpatient wards; operating rooms; laboratory; pharmacy; X-ray services; immunization clinic; special support clinics; medical records office; departmental cashier’s office (handling secretarial tasks as well as IVS benefits and other financial matters); and administrative/financial areas.
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