Alajuela Hospital Builder Sues CCSS
In a turnaround of events, the Spanish company Obrascón Huarte Laín (OHL), is suing the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS) for us$6 million dollars for additional costs the company say it had to incurr to build the newly opend Alajuela Hospital.

Police raided the OHLS's offices in Costa Rica and detained it's manager, while other OHL executives fled the country, in an action of suspected overpricing and poor construction after newly install medical equipment failed and faults were found in the construction.

OHL executives in Spain decided to then send a delegation to Costa Rica to review the situation and make corrections, following President Pacheco's intervention with that country's government.

The hospital began construction in 2003 and was handed over to the CCSS in July of 2004 and finally opened it's doors to provide service to the public in December of last year.

Immediately following the opening of it's doors numerous complaints about fault medical equipment and construction deficiencies, likes doors that did not open and close properly, were registered and the CCSS took action to have the deficiencies corrected.

OHL now says that they had made several claims to the CCSS for overcosts to construction due to the CCSS's slow pace to handle matters. A major part of the overcost are problems found with the ground where the new hospital building sits. OHL claims that the land was not as the ground study claimed and incurred additional costs to prepare the site and the building's foundations.

The president of the CCSS, Alberto Sáenz Pacheco, says that the charge is an "obstacle" on the part of the OHL to break negotiations to make good on the hospital's construction and medical equipment.