Town hall signs agreement with Andalusian regional government for new health centre in Torre del Mar

The agreement was signed on Wednesday 24 June in Seville, by the mayor of Vélez-Málaga, Jesús Lupiáñez, the Andalusian regional government's health spokesperson, Antonio Sanz and the manager of the Andalusian health service (SAS), Valle García Sánchez.

The agreement sets out the framework for collaboration between the two authorities to develop infrastructure deemed essential to meet the healthcare needs arising from the growing population of the coastal town.

The new facility will be built on a municipal plot situated next to the Vals sports centre, in a strategic location in the town. The town hall will provide the necessary land and will be responsible for drawing up the preliminary design and the detailed design, while the Andalusian health service will be in charge of financing and carrying out the work.

The planned investment amounts to just under 13 million euros, a sum that will be financed in full by the regional government. This sum covers the construction work, project management and the technical work, with investment scheduled to take place between 2027 and 2029.

In a statement, Lupiáñez said that the signing of the agreement represents "a very important step for the present and future of Torre del Mar". In his view, the future centre will improve healthcare provision for local residents and provide Torre del Mar with services which are in line with the growth the town has experienced in recent years.

The SAS will also be responsible for staffing and equipping the future healthcare centre, as well as integrating it into the Andalusian public health system once the construction work has been completed and the centre has become fully operational.

The new infrastructure will enable the municipality to expand its healthcare capacity and ease the pressure on existing healthcare services in Torre del Mar and the surrounding area. The coastal town has a growing year-round population, which increases significantly during the high season due to the arrival of visitors and temporary residents.

The future health centre is set to improve users' access to primary care services and to provide modern facilities, in line with current standards and equipped to cope with the area's demographic changes. The aim of the regional government and the town hall is for the new healthcare facility to be up and running within three years.

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