Malaga health: Clínico's new ENT department reopens with more space for consultations and tests

Specialist staff have been working in this area since the end of July, although demand tends to be lower in August and the true capacity will be assessed in September, when day-to-day activity returns to normal.

In 2025, the ENT department treated more than 40,000 people, compared with the 30,000 it had been treating prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. This increase in pressure on the service and the need to adapt it accordingly were the driving forces behind this refurbishment.

Consequently, the unit's infrastructure has adapted to accommodate the significant increase in the number of staff: from six to 16 in just a few years.

In addition, the new premises feature a high-fidelity soundproof room for audiometric testing and an area for outpatient surgical procedures.

Three key criteria have guided the refurbishment: safety, efficiency and the humanisation of the healthcare environment.

The main organisational change is the establishment of two completely separate pathways and circuits: one dedicated to direct medical care and the other specifically for nursing and diagnostic tests.

By separating patient flows between consultations and diagnostic tests, this arrangement ensures greater privacy and provides "a significantly quieter and more orderly environment, ideal for carrying out clinical examinations and specialised diagnostic procedures".

Head of the ENT department Óscar Cazorla said: "This refurbishment addresses the need to adapt the layout of the spaces to the department's actual clinical activities. The creation of separate pathways not only optimises internal flow but also represents a qualitative leap in terms of privacy and the overall experience of patients whilst receiving care."

One of the most notable technical improvements is the provision of a high-fidelity, soundproofed and acoustically insulated room, with specifications far exceeding the conventional standard. This area has been specifically designed to carry out hearing tests with the utmost diagnostic precision for patients with hearing loss or those considering cochlear implants.

Furthermore, the refurbishment includes the incorporation of an outpatient surgical area for procedures that do not require the use of a conventional operating theatre or continuous intravenous therapy, which helps reduce waiting times and provide a more personalised and humane level of care. The unit also includes a separate area for complex dressings.

The project forms part of the general plan for the renovation and modernisation of infrastructure that the centre is implementing across Hospital Clínico, Hospital Marítimo de Torremolinos, the Benalmádena hospital, Hospital Valle del Guadalhorce and the San José Obrero specialists' centre, with the aim of "providing healthcare of the highest quality that is accessible, safe and person-centred".

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