Baños Neighbors Want Answers Before Cuenca's New Municipal Hospital Opens

Neighbors around Cuenca's new Hospital Municipal de Banos are not objecting to the hospital itself. Their question is more practical: can the surrounding area handle it?

El Mercurio reports that residents in La Concordia, in the parish of Banos, have raised concerns about sewer capacity, vehicle access and traffic before the hospital opens.

What Neighbors Are Asking

Alfonso Marquez, a nearby resident, told El Mercurio that neighbors learned through the news that the hospital would be built there. He said they applaud the mayor's management, but want information on sewer and vehicle-access issues because local roads are secondary roads.

Another resident, Byron Mocha, said neighbors had asked for a meeting during the last two weeks. He told the paper there are no traffic lights, sidewalks or alternate roads, and that the sector collapses during peak hours. He also noted that there are three schools in the area.

Delia Morocho said she had spoken with the parish political lieutenant, who inspected the area and said they would try to solve it, but that nothing had been done.

The Parish Response

Paul Vasquez, from the GAD Parroquial de Banos, told El Mercurio that many concerns come from misinformation. On sewer capacity, the report says the local matrix begins at 500 millimeters and ends at 600 millimeters, and that Vasquez said it should work correctly.

On traffic, he acknowledged congestion during peak hours because of schools and condominiums in the area. El Mercurio reports that three hospital access routes exist and that a fourth access through the lower hospital area is being studied.

For expats in Banos or nearby west-side neighborhoods, this is one to watch because the hospital could become a useful local service, but the opening may also change traffic patterns around an already busy parish corridor.

Source: El Mercurio