Two new public hospitals under construction in Baja California have each reached roughly the halfway mark, with both facilities on track to open in March 2027. Zoé Robledo, director general of the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS), confirmed the progress during President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Tuesday morning press briefing on May 19.
The Hospital General de Zona in San Quintín stands at 49.5% completion. Once finished, it will house 94 beds, two operating rooms, and eight medical specialties. The facility will replace an outdated rural clinic that currently serves as the only public health option for the farming community roughly 300 kilometers south of Tijuana along the Transpeninsular Highway.
San Quintín Project Revived After Contractor Abandoned Work
San Quintín’s hospital has had a troubled construction history. A previous contractor abandoned the project mid-build, leaving the agricultural hub without the inpatient capacity it had been promised. The region is home to tens of thousands of farmworkers who grow much of Mexico’s export produce. Until now, serious medical cases have required a drive of several hours north to Ensenada or Tijuana.
The second project, the Regional Hospital No. 23 in Ensenada, has reached 48.1% completion. Military engineers from SEDENA (the Secretariat of National Defense) took over construction. The finished hospital will be considerably larger than San Quintín’s, with 330 beds, eight operating rooms, and 40 medical specialties.
Ensenada Hospital Already Treating Outpatients
Parts of the Ensenada facility are already in service. Robledo confirmed that outpatient consultations, imaging, laboratory work, and surgical suites are operating while crews finish the hospitalization wings. That partial opening gives Ensenada residents access to diagnostic and surgical care even before the full March 2027 launch.
Baja California is slated to receive a total of seven federal hospital projects during the current presidential term, according to El Imparcial. In April 2026, IMSS also announced the addition of more than 300 medical specialists across the state to address chronic staffing shortages.
For residents of northern Baja who rely on or interact with the public health system, the two hospitals will add a combined 424 beds and 48 specialties to a region that has long faced overcrowded facilities. Both projects are scheduled to begin full operations in March 2027.
This story was first reported by Punto Norte.