Peru has been experiencing a growing demand for complex heart surgery, transplants and specialized cardiovascular attention. To tackle these needs the Peruvian national health service, EsSalud, built the INCOR hospital with assistance from UNOPS.

The INCOR hospital won the first prize in the Architects Association of Peru National Architectural Quality awards under the category of ‘social buildings’.

The hospital has four large surgeries, three clinical observation rooms, 65 intensive care beds for children and adults, an emergency department, a playroom for hospitalized children, a rehabilitation unit and a research area with two fully equipped operating rooms.

It has the capacity to provide 2,600 surgical interventions, 250,000 invasive and non-invasive procedures and nearly 90,000 consultations a year.

INCOR is also equipped with state-of-the-art biomedical equipment, which helps compile crucial data on the health of patients, enabling a more effective diagnosis. Examples include a 64-slice CT scanner to create high resolution heart images and a gamma camera to carry out nuclear studies on heart functions.

Alongside the improvements in infrastructure, EsSalud has heavily invested in a capacity development programme for its doctors. The majority have been trained in top-ranking universities in the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Italy and England.

INCOR will be the central hub of a nationwide network of cardiovascular specialists, and will provide training and support to Peru’s provincial health centres.

On behalf of EsSalud, UNOPS implemented the construction and supervision works of the INCOR hospital. More than $19 million was invested in the building and $10 million on equipment.

The hospital has been partially open since its inauguration in March 2010 but is now fully operational as the operating rooms and emergency department are open.