New Nerja health centre to be ready in April

The Andalusian regional government's spokesperson for health and consumer affairs in Malaga, Carlos Bautista, visited the construction site of the new health centre in Nerja on the eastern Costa del Sol on Tuesday 20 January, which is scheduled to be completed in April.

Since 2003, when Nerja town hall and the Andalusian regional government signed an agreement to jointly finance a new health centre in the town, there have been a series of broken promises, changes to the project's location, withdrawals from the agreement and modifications to the land. More than two decades later, the work, which began at the end of July 2024, is now in its final stages.

The new health facility will serve more than 25,000 residents of Nerja and Frigiliana, with double the surface area of the current centre; 4,520 square metres on three floors, plus a basement. Along with state-of-the-art equipment, the health centre will have 26 standard consultation rooms, five multi-purpose rooms, five paediatric rooms, minor surgery rooms, dentistry, physiotherapy, radiology and critical care.

The investment exceeds 9.4 million euros and has been financed with European funds managed by the central government and transferred to the Junta de Andalucía. Bautista said: "We expect to have it ready by approximately April" and added, "I can tell you that you are going to have a wonderful, well-equipped centre, with lots of technology and magnificent professionals."

Bautista's visit to Nerja is part of the regional government's commitment to invest almost four million euros in healthcare infrastructure in the Axarquía during 2026, with a new clinic in Algarrobo Costa (666,000 euros) and the new health centre in Rincón de la Victoria, the contract for which is currently out to tender.

"These budgets reflect the commitment of Juanma Moreno's government to improving the quality of care and strengthening primary care," Bautista said. He went on to say that the Nerja facility will double the healthcare capacity in Nerja and relieve pressure on the Axarquía regional hospital in Torre del Mar, which celebrated its fortieth anniversary in 2025 and is currently being renovated.