Minister of Public Works, engineer Diandino Peña said that the government will consult those that oppose the construction of nine 22-floor towers within the Plaza de la Salud hospital centers. Former President Joaquín Balaguer said that the towers would impede the completion of the medical complex as originally planned by University of Harvard specialists. Architect Roberto Bergés, the original builder of the Plaza de la Salud, said that the original project included three towers, one for a hotel and two for specialized medical centers – cancer and cardiology. Other facilities that had been contemplated for the Plaza are a convention center and a nursing school. The government is proposing to build the nine 22-floor towers for the Olympic Village for the year 2003 Pan American Games if the DR is granted in December the right to host the sports games. The government also said the apartment buildings would be sold to personnel employed at the center.
