Emergency in Cali: Neonatal area of San Juan de Dios Hospital evacuated after partial collapse
A tense situation occurred in the center of Cali, Colombia, after a partial collapse in the infrastructure of the San Juan de Dios Hospital forced health authorities to carry out an emergency evacuation. Medical and nursing staff prioritized the safety of the most vulnerable patients, immediately moving newborns from the neonatal area to the institution’s parking lot.
Given the urgency of the moment, the health team demonstrated their professional commitment by setting up an improvised care area in the parking lot. In this space, incubators and mobile cribs were installed to ensure the continuity of vital medical care while specialists evaluated the structural stability of the building.
Immediate response from emergency services
Following the incident, risk management teams, along with units from the Fire Department, were present at the healthcare facility. Their primary task has been to verify the extent of the damage and determine if there is any latent risk to the staff, patients, and their families who remain on the premises.
The evacuation was adopted as a necessary preventive measure to safeguard the integrity of the neonates in the face of the possibility of further deterioration in the hospital’s physical structure.
Local health authorities
- Healthcare personnel remain on high alert in the temporarily enabled area.
- The transfer of critically ill patients to other centers within Cali’s public hospital network is being evaluated.
- The competent authorities are working on the preparation of a detailed technical report on the state of the infrastructure.
At the moment, supervision efforts continue at the site. It is expected that in the coming hours, health authorities will provide an official report on the hospital’s safety conditions and the final destination of the patients affected by this emergency.
