A large number of Peru’s hospitals are currently unequipped to handle a major earthquake.

According to Deputy Health Minister Percy Minaya, about 31 percent of the country’s major public hospitals and health centers need to improve their infrastructure in order to withstand a major earthquake.

Minaya said the ministry had found that only 69 percent of hospitals and health centers around the country had satisfactory infrastructure and services, after evaluating 58 hospitals and 78 health centers.

In the past eight months the Ministry of Health spent 197 million soles in improving infrastructure and services in the country’s hospitals, 6 million of which were allocated to hospitals in Lima, according to Peru21.

"However, 31 percent require some improvement, which requires significant investment from our sector of an additional 200 million soles to improve the infrastructure and services of these centers," he said to Peru21.

Minaya said the ministry had already formulated a risk management plan in the event of a strong earthquake or tsunami, and a sector-specific plan for hospitals and health centers.

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