Mérida’s new O’Horán Hospital has taken another step in its phased opening, with emergency care now operating at the south-side campus. Adult and pediatric patients are being received while the old hospital continues winding down services. Health officials outlined how triage will work, how many patients the old emergency area handled, and what remains to be done in the transfer process before the previous facility closes.
What changed as O’Horán emergency care moved south
MÉRIDA, Yucatán — The emergency area at the new Hospital General Dr. Agustín O’Horán opened Monday morning in south Mérida, giving the general public access to adult and pediatric emergency care as services continue moving out of the old hospital.
The new unit began operating at 7 a.m. at the hospital’s new campus in the Renacimiento neighborhood, where patients from different communities began arriving shortly after the opening. Dr. Miguel Alcocer Gamboa, Yucatán’s health secretary, and María Teresa Zapata Villalobos, director of the new hospital, were present for the start of emergency operations.
Emergency care moves to the new campus
Alcocer said the transfer from the old O’Horán hospital began weeks ago and has moved forward in stages. Hospitalization services have been activated gradually, with Internal Medicine and Pediatrics already treating patients at the new site.
State officials said in a prior update that 130 patient transfers had been carried out as part of the move to the new complex. Of those patients, 101 were hospitalized or in intensive care, while 29 had been discharged after improvement. The same report said seven surgeries, 31 medical consultations, and 48 dialysis or hemodialysis treatments had already been provided during the transition.
The first patient transfers began on May 13, when four patients were moved to the new hospital under coordination by the Centro Regulador de Urgencias Médicas, according to the state government.
How the new emergency area will operate
Patients arriving at the emergency unit first go through triage, where doctors determine the level of urgency. From there, patients may be sent to a specialty area or to the shock area if their condition is considered serious.
Alcocer said the old hospital’s emergency department received an average of 100 to 200 patients a day, though not all required admission. Some cases were resolved through consultation, treatment, and instructions for continued care at home.
More than 300 people, including nurses, doctors, administrative staff, and social workers, are assigned to the new emergency area across five shifts. The new emergency observation area can receive more than 150 people, according to the health secretary.
Officials also said the new hospital will use an electronic medical record system to allow patient information to be consulted across different health units, including the Hospital Regional de Alta Especialidad de la Península de Yucatán and first-level health centers.
Old O’Horán hospital heads toward closure
The opening of emergency services is part of the broader move from the old O’Horán hospital to the new campus. Alcocer said June 15 is the date set for the old hospital’s closure.
The transition adds to recent public attention on health services in Mérida. Vallarta Daily previously reported on a suspected counterfeit cancer drug case at a Mérida public hospital, which prompted calls for investigation and stronger supply controls.
