Junta to take on another 4,371 healthcare workers across Andalucía region, half of them this year

President of the Andalusian regional government (the Junta) Juanma Moreno has announced that the regional budget for 2026 will reach a record figure of almost 51.6 billion euros - 2.7 billion euros more than the budget for 2025. Up to a third of the new budget will be allocated to public health.

In addition to the increase in health spending, on Tuesday, Moreno announced that the regional ministry of health will recruit 4,370 new healthcare professionals, 1,200 of them doctors. He promised that more than half of them (2,292) will start working "before the end of this year".

"We want to continue moving towards the best possible healthcare," Moreno said. He added that the new comprehensive screening plan for breast, colon and cervical cancer is already under way, with a budget of more than 100 million euros and for which 705 specialists are going to be hired.

Moreno stated that the Junta is committed to prioritising comprehensive care. "We have quadrupled investment in infrastructure and equipment (almost 3 billion since2019). For the first time in history, Andalucía is above the Spanish average in per capita spending (1,765 euros) after being at the bottom," he said, adding that the Andalusian healthcare workforce has increased by 30%, to 130,000 professionals, since he became president of the Junta.

The Junta's head reiterated his promise to reform the Andalusian health service (Sas), with the help of a commission of experts and the use of tools such as AI in diagnostics, prevention and care.

Moreno believes that this is possible thanks to Andalucía's economic growth, which is faster than that of Spain and the EU. He also highlighted the 53 consecutive months of year-on-year drops in unemployment; the record exports (four of the best records in history have been achieved in the last five years); and the entrepreneurial spirit of Andalucía - leader in self-employment for the past four years.

In order to continue generating the best conditions to attract investment and employment, Moreno has focused on the seventh tax cut within the 2026 budget, with a new batch of tax benefits dedicated to pet owners, people who practice sports, celiac patients or their direct family members, tenants and adoptive or foster parents.

Moreno also used the opportunity to outline Andalucía's achievements in the implementation of renewable energy. "Almost 70% of energy in Andalusia is of renewable origin. We are national leaders in photovoltaic power for generation and self-consumption," he said, highlighting that this wasn't the case a few years ago, despite Andalucía "being the place in Europe with the most hours of sunshine".

Currently, Andalucía is promoting projects in the energy sector that involve an investment of 9.3 billion euros and the creation of 21,000 jobs in the green hydrogen, biogas and circular economy industries, among others.