Hospital extension gets underway at last
The built-up area will be increased by 40% to over 50,000m2
WORK to extend Vega Baja hospital in Orihuela finally started on Monday with a budget of €70 million – five years after first being announced.
Regional health councillor Miguel Mínguez said it would considerably improve healthcare in the area and increase the capacity of the hospital by 42 beds to 372 for inpatients, with two new annex buildings to free up space in the existing one.
“In these new installations services will be installed like outpatient consultations, mental health and outpatient surgery, amongst others, which will have more space and better equipment,” he explained.
The councillor claimed it is a ‘clear example of the great effort being made to improve health infrastructure so that all residents of the region can have the best resources’.
Vega Baja hospital has a surface area of 36,300 square metres, which will be increased by 40% to over 50,000m2.
The work is estimated to take about 30 months, and has been planned in such a way that it should not affect the
healthcare activity, said Sr Mínguez.
The new north building will have three floors and will house outpatient consultation, the day hospital, mental health and the electricity and water control centre, while the south building will include major and minor outpatient surgery, endoscopy and haemodialysis, and will be close to the main surgery block and intensive care due to the correlation between these services.
A platform will be constructed on the ground floor to connect the external entrances of the different buildings, and the grounds will be reorganised to make additional parking spaces.
During the first phase, a temporary ramp will be installed for emergency vehicles, the new heliport will be prepared, new parking areas created and some existing buildings demolished.
In the following phase, the north building will be constructed, along with the first section of the platform and the connections to the existing building.
After that, the south building, the rest of the platform and the connection with the original building will be constructed, and then the grounds will be redeveloped, the perimeter fence replaced and the main entrance renovated.
The regional health department is currently investing over €400M to improve and modernise infrastructure, including €6.7M this year on health centres in the Vega Baja hospital catchment area in Albatera, Algorfa, Cox, Jacarilla and Redován.
In the Torrevieja hospital catchment area, which was returned to public management in 2021, it has spent €2.4M on improving healthcare infrastructure, and has allocated another €3.7M for this year to continue extending and improving health centres.
Nevertheless, the Partido Popular (PP) candidate for Orihuela, Pepe Vergara argued it was unacceptable that patients have had to wait almost a year for an ultrasound, often due to lack of personnel, and over 1,000 anatomical pathology tests are pending, as the two technicians left for another hospital.
He also criticised overcrowding and delays at the health centre in Orihuela Costa, which the regional government plans to extend but he insisted a second centre needs to be built as it will get even busier in the summer.