Clinic and medical facility construction in Holbox
Design, construction and services with the health file resolved before opening.
Holbox has thousands of visitors in high season, a small public health centre and a boat between every serious case and a hospital. A private clinic here is first-line care and stabilisation, and it has to work when the power and the ferry do not.
Stabilise first, transfer second
Serious cases leave the island by boat to Chiquilá and then by road to Cancún, so the clinic’s job is triage, emergency care and stabilisation before transfer. The layout follows that: a short, clear route from the street to a resuscitation bay, an observation room and a dock or cart access for the transfer.
Power, oxygen and supplies by barge
Medical gases, medicines and consumables arrive by barge, so storage is sized for weeks, not days, with oxygen cylinders kept secure and dry. A generator with automatic transfer and a UPS for critical equipment are not optional on an island with a history of cuts.
Biological waste on a protected island
Hazardous biological waste must be stored correctly and removed to the mainland by an authorised contractor, and waste water goes to treatment, never to the ground. We design a sealed waste store and the logistics to move it, which COFEPRIS and the environmental authorities will both ask to see.
Budget and programme for a clinic in Holbox
Clinic fit-out: MXN 24,000 to 40,000 per m². The island premium covers the double crossing and the crews; the figure also includes generator, UPS, oxygen storage and a treatment connection, which on Holbox are part of the clinic rather than extras.
A 100–200 m² clinic takes six to nine months. The municipal file runs six to ten weeks; the sanitary licence is resolved at the end, on completed works with equipment installed and the waste contract signed.
Scope: from concept to the sanitary licence
We cover concept and executive design with full engineering, municipal filing with the responsible engineer, civil works, electrical with back-up, plumbing, air conditioning and extraction, medical gases where applicable, sanitary finishes, fixed furniture and signage. We accompany the health file through to inspection, coordinating the facility’s health officer.
The budget comes out as line items with quantities and unit rates; every change is priced and signed before execution and payments go against verified progress. We hand over as-built drawings, calculation records, datasheets and equipment manuals.
Why the order of filings decides the opening date
The municipal licence authorises building; the sanitary licence or notice authorises operating, and it is resolved on completed works with equipment installed and running. So the opening date is set when the health file closes, not when the construction contract is signed. We plan both in parallel so the second does not begin when the first ends.
Weekly reports with dated photographs and a fortnightly video call from site, in Spanish, English, German, French, Russian or Chinese. Many of our clients are doctors or investors who do not live in the area and need to follow the works remotely.
The ground in Holbox: what it imposes on the project
- Municipality: Lázaro Cárdenas
- Environmental regime: CONANP (Yum Balam) + SEMARNAT + municipal
- Ground: sand bar over limestone
- Water table: very high, close to the surface
- Salt exposure: very high
A car-free island in a federal protected area: low heights, limited footprint and every load crossing by barge.
- Check the lot against the Yum Balam management plan before paying for design; it fixes what can be built.
- Plan deliveries in consolidated barge loads and keep a site buffer for days when the crossing is closed.
See the 42 mapped zones of the corridor in the zone checker.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of clinic makes sense on Holbox?
An urgent-care and first-contact clinic with stabilisation, observation and a pharmacy, able to transfer patients safely to the mainland. Complex surgery belongs in Cancún; the island needs fast, reliable first response.
How is medical oxygen supplied on Holbox?
In cylinders brought by barge from the mainland, stored in a ventilated, secure area with enough reserve for weeks of use. A concentrator can cover part of the routine demand.
Do you accompany the COFEPRIS process?
We handle the technical file: drawings, calculation records, specifications for finishes and services, medical gases and biological waste handling, and we respond to inspection observations. The facility’s health officer remains the signatory, and we work coordinated with that role from concept stage.
Can a clinic be fitted out in a unit that is already leased?
Yes, and it is the most common case. What has to be verified before signing the lease is clear height, electrical capacity, the possibility of extraction, the position of drainage stacks and space for the waste store. A two-hour review before signing avoids months of trouble afterwards.
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