Cancún Evicts Homeless From Old General Hospital to Make Way for New Maternal and Child Facility

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Authorities removed homeless people from the abandoned General Hospital of Cancún before dawn on Monday, launching an operation aimed at reclaiming the site for a new maternal and child hospital.

The operation began around 3:30 a.m., when Municipal Police officers, members of the state’s Missing Persons Search Group, Public Services crews, Civil Protection personnel, firefighters and paramedics arrived at the building to clear the people living there.

No resistance or arrests were reported during the deployment.

Once the removal was complete, Public Services workers began cleaning the property. In the early hours of the morning, crews hauled away tons of trash and assorted debris that had accumulated inside the building as well as on nearby streets and lots.

Municipal Police officers kept watch in the surrounding area throughout the cleanup to ensure the safety of the workers.

Multi-Stage Project

According to information gathered at the scene, reclaiming the property is the first step in a project that will unfold in several stages: removing the occupants, clearing the land, demolishing the existing structures and finally building a new hospital.

The plan calls for converting the site — for decades one of Cancún’s main medical care centers — into a modern facility focused primarily on gynecology and pediatric services.

The old General Hospital ceased operations in March 2017, when the current General Hospital “Dr. Jesús Kumate Rodríguez” opened in the Arco Norte area.

In recent years, the vacant building had been occupied by homeless people, who area residents repeatedly blamed for robberies and even homicides.