A water main break in the emergency department parking area of the Dr. Arnulfo Arias Madrid Hospital Complex, managed by the Social Security Fund (CSS), located on the Transistmic Highway, caused water leaks in various areas. The situation was reported to the National Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (Idaan), the entity responsible for repairs. According to the hospital's medical director, Ricardo Sandoval, the damage had been repaired before; however, it failed again, causing the leak. He emphasized that the incident was reported the day before and that an Idaan crew was expected to address the problem. The affected areas include the waiting room, pharmacy, and the injection area of the emergency department, so maintenance staff immediately began cleaning the floors and hallways. Despite the situation, Sandoval assured that the hospital remains fully operational. "The hospital is currently fully operational, as it is every day," he reiterated, ruling out any impact on patient care. Regarding the emergency department, he detailed that the center maintains its usual flow, attending between 90 and 105 patients per shift, which is about 400 to 450 patients daily. He also explained that although leaks occurred, cleaning staff intervened immediately to dry the affected areas and prevent further inconvenience. Hospital authorities reiterated that it is Idaan's responsibility to make the necessary repairs, and they expect the work to be completed during the day. Idaan will send a crew. Meanwhile, the metropolitan director of Idaan, Isaac González, confirmed that the institution will provide technical support to the hospital to locate and repair the leak. "The Hospital Complex always receives our support; we have helped them with several breaks, and coincidentally, one of our teams will pass by today to identify the break," he stated. González explained that they were initially requested to support locating a possible internal leak; however, he clarified that if it is a break in a public network pipe, it is directly Idaan's responsibility to carry out the repair. "If it's on the street, we have to repair it. If it's internal, we locate the break so they can proceed or even we repair it," he specified. He added that a specialized leak detection team has been sent to the site and they expect to handle the situation during the day, as part of the current "Panamá without leaks" campaign in the capital city. Authorities reiterated that work will continue until the incident is resolved, while the hospital maintains its normal operation.
