Malaga's renovated Pascual hospital to welcome first patients at end of November

Regional minister of health Antonio Sanz made the announcement during his visit on Thursday. He highlighted the budget of 6.5 million euros and the 259 workers that will serve the centre once it opens.

The first phase of the work involves fitting out the ground floor to house the continuity of care unit (UCA), with 16 treatment spaces operating as a day hospital for patients with chronic and multiple conditions.

The floor will also contain 16 outpatient consultation rooms for internal medicine, neurology, gastroenterology and anaesthetics.

The project covers a total of 2,000 square metres. The first phase has received 3.5 million euros, with a further 560,000 allocated to equipment.

The second phase focuses on refurbishing the second floor, which covers more than 2,300 square metres. Work began on 10 August.

Once the second phase opens in the first quarter of 2027, Malaga will have 35 double rooms and seven rooms designed for patients with reduced mobility. The hospital will use these rooms for inpatient care, including palliative care.

The floor will also contain three endoscopy rooms, together with a patient preparation and recovery room, two pre-anaesthetic consultation rooms, a staff workroom, changing rooms, toilets and storage areas.

The second floor will also accommodate staff bedrooms, the pharmacy department, rooms where staff can meet relatives, workrooms, storage areas, a kitchenette, staff lounges, linen storage and toilets, among other facilities.

The Junta has invested 1.7 million euros in this phase, with a further 700,000 going towards equipment. "It will be ready in the first quarter of 2027," Sanz said.

The new hospital will free up space at the Civil hospital, the José Estrada CARE centre and the general hospital.

The hospital will give Malaga a new healthcare facility while making use of an historic building. "This is a new hospital for Malaga. It uses historic infrastructure, but it is genuinely a new hospital," Sanz stated.

The regional minister also highlighted several other major healthcare projects in the province. Work has already begun on Hospital Virgen de la Esperanza, with a budget of 543.3 million euros.

The Costa del Sol hospital in Marbella has received a 100-million-euro expansion, while construction has also begun on the new proton therapy centre next to the Materno Infantil hospital.

The proton therapy project represents a budget of 11.7 million euros. It will bring "one of the most advanced technologies for cancer treatment" into the public healthcare system.

Sanz described the Pascual as a "transitional step" that will improve healthcare provision for Malaga residents until the city's third hospital begins operating in 2031.

Regional minister of the economy and third deputy president of the regional government Carolina España, who accompanied Sanz during his visit, said the hospital demonstrates that the Andalusian government keeps its promises.

"Never before have we invested so much in healthcare in the province. Malaga had a historic deficit in healthcare infrastructure," she said.

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