The Government of President Nayib Bukele has inaugurated the first Neurodevelopment Clinic at the “Dr. José Antonio Saldaña” National Hospital, a milestone in the country’s efforts to strengthen early childhood care and quality health services.
Led by the Ministry of Health and supported by the Growing Healthy Together project, promoted by the Office of First Lady Gabriela de Bukele in partnership with Plan International El Salvador, the clinic will serve children ages 0 to 12 with conditions such as autism, hyperactivity, attention deficit disorder, and learning disabilities.
Health Minister Francisco Alabi emphasized that the new facility will provide an estimated 1,300 visits per month:
“This clinic has been designed with the ideal infrastructure to care for children with neurodevelopmental challenges. For the first time, families will have a specialized public facility that offers diagnoses, therapies, and spaces for parents to actively interact with their children,” Alabi said.
The clinic will operate with a team of 16 specialists, including a pediatric neurologist, psychologists, physical therapists, and nurses, ensuring multidisciplinary attention for over 500 families. The project received $147,000 in financial support from Plan International and the Dora Foundation.
According to the Office of the First Lady, the initiative fulfills the goals of the Growing Together Law, consolidating El Salvador’s vision of expanding comprehensive services for children and promoting social and educational inclusion from the earliest stages of life.