The first phase was constructed between March and June 2020 as a conversion of the International Fair and Convention Center [es] (Centro Internacional de Ferias y Convenciones, CIFCO) and formed part of El Salvador's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, exclusively receiving COVID-19 patients.

On 14 March 2020, President Nayib Bukele announced that a temporary hospital would be constructed in the CIFCO building, the country's main convention center.

[7] Covering 36,000 square metres (390,000 sq ft), the facility features a blood bank, morgue, and radiology area, among other amenities.

[10] Prior to the pandemic, there were just 30 intensive care unit (ICU) beds in all of El Salvador; surge capacity had brought that number to 157 by the time the hospital opened.

[13] In March 2021, the transparency court alerted to the existence of 63 anomalies in the construction process, including an initial lack of wastewater treatment facilities.

[18] An article published in The Lancet in December 2020 highlighted the hospital; however, the independent portal Salud con Lupa revealed that the article—in the journal's opinion section—was paid for by the government, which contracted with a consultant, Magdalena Serpa, to promote the facility.

[22] Also in April, the government proposed converting the hospital into a specialty facility dealing with complex cases; labor unions in the Ministry of Health have noted a lack of transparency or communication with staff.