Colombia pushes ahead with hospital upgrade in Puerto Colombia and new prison in Risaralda

The Department of Atlántico is completing a major modernization of the Hospital of Puerto Colombia. The project, financed with more than 18.094 billion Colombian pesos, allocates over 17.139 billion for new infrastructure and 954 million for state‑of‑the‑art biomedical equipment, including digital X‑rays, ultrasound, laboratory and obstetrics units. Governor Eduardo Verano said the upgraded facility will serve the municipality’s growing population of about 30,000 residents and tourists, adding second‑level specialties such as pediatrics, gynecology and a future psychiatry department.

In Risaralda, construction of the new Pereira prison "El Pílamo" continues as the principal response to chronic overcrowding. The venture, budgeted at roughly 259.174 billion pesos, will house 1,514 inmates and includes two construction phases. The first phase, costing over 132.249 billion pesos, was completed in October 2025 with five inmate pavilions and support facilities. The second phase, currently 42.67 % physically complete, is expected to finish by December 2026, with the prison slated to become operational in the first quarter of 2027.