Surgeries in the Cardiovascular and Thoracic Institute in the City of Health, in Ancon have been suspended due to the lack of "vital supplies” says an internal memorandum dated March 17, addressed to all the specialist doctors of the cardiovascular surgery service,  

The memorandum did not specify what the missing supplies are but warned that extremely urgent vascular procedures and cardiac interventions were maintained.

The operation of  The City of Health was called into question with the memorandum, and the CSS responded through a short press release, that the program of elective cardiac surgeries continues.

In an explanatory note, the medical director of  the complex Jorge Ng Chinkee, reported that they are taking steps to comply, in a timely manner, with public procurement procedures to acquire everything necessary in a transparent manner and with competent suppliers.

The Cardiovascular and Thoracic Institute was inaugurated by President Laurentino Cortizo, on September 7, 2022, but it was put into operation on July 11.

The Cardiovascular and Thoracic Institute has six operating rooms, two of which are hybrids that, in the event of a complication during a procedure, allowing surgery to be performed without transferring the patient. In addition, it has three state-of-the-art angiographers, a tomograph, three hospitalization floors, and 300 beds.

The facility also handles operations for children born with congenital heart malformations.

Eleven years after being tendered in 2012 for $554 million, the CSS project, whose final cost will be over $1 billion, is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

Currently, the CSS administration is under public scrutiny, after the loss of 19,000 doses of fentanyl became known.