La Calera to host new Servicio Médico Legal headquarters

The Quillota Province will receive a new headquarters for the Servicio Médico Legal (SML) in the commune of La Calera. The project, titled ‘Reposición y Equipamiento SML Quillota-La Calera’, has received the Satisfactory Recommendation (RS) from the Ministry of Social Development, clearing the way for a bidding process.

With an investment exceeding 5 billion pesos, the new facility will be built on a 3,914 m² plot with approximately 800 m² of construction. The building will feature specialized infrastructure for forensic clinical work, thanatology, and mental health. This move is expected to benefit over 260,000 people in the area by providing services closer to northern communities, such as the Petorca Province, reducing the need for three-to-four-hour trips to Valparaíso.

The new headquarters will replace the current facilities located at the former San Martín Hospital in Quillota, which have operated there for over 50 years. Regional SML Director Marcos Faundes noted that the project has been a long-standing demand in the collective memory of the province for more than fifteen years.