Marbella and the Junta de Andalucía to renovate the health centres of Las Albarizas and Leganitos

The new emergency building at the Las Albarizas health centre has opened its doors after a municipal investment of more than one million euros.

The inauguration was attended by the Deputy Minister for Health and Families, Nicolás Navarro, and Marbella Mayor, Ángeles Muñoz, who highlighted the leap forward in healthcare in the municipality, with the expansion of the Hospital Universitario Costa del Sol, the new health centres in Ricardo Soriano, Las Chapas and San Pedro Alcántara, and the extension of the Nueva Andalucía centre.

A "revolution", in the words of Muñoz, for which the town hall and the Regional Ministry of Health have set new objectives: the refurbishment of the Las Albarizas health centre, thanks to the nine consulting rooms freed up by the new emergency building, and that of Leganitos.

With regard to Las Albarizas, the intention on paper is to create a mother and child area, separate from adult care, while in Leganitos, with space also freed up after the opening of the new Ricardo Soriano health centre, this has yet to be defined, but what is in mind is "a comprehensive renovation", according to the councillor.

These two refurbishments would thus close the circle that began to be drawn in 2020, "aware that it was necessary to make a great effort", as the mayor pointed out, thanking the Junta de Andalucía "for having understood the need", although it has been the town hall that has assumed the cost of all the actions in the field of primary care, which has reached a total investment of 7.4 million euros in a new surface area that totals almost 3,500 square metres.

The involvement of a local administration that "is not easy" and is not common currency, as the Deputy Regional Minister for Health acknowledged, thanking the town hall for understanding that "if we work hand in hand, more things can be achieved".

For the time being, what is already in use is the new Las Albarizas emergency area, a two-storey building of 555.60 square metres with a nursing area, two rooms for respiratory processes, five medical consultations, a critical care room and another for short treatments, among other facilities of a service that also has two ICU units and two more ambulances for transfers.

The ground floor houses the care area with direct access from the street, while the first floor is intended for complementary spaces for medical staff. The facility has been specifically designed for emergency care and has differentiated areas to guarantee fast, safe and adapted care for each patient.

The Deputy Regional Minister of Health framed this action within the "comprehensive transformation" that the Regional Government has implemented in primary care, "with more investment, more professionals and new infrastructures that improve accessibility and patient care".

The Junta will dedicate 5,472 million euros to primary care this year, 35 per cent of the health budget (16,265 million), which has placed spending per inhabitant at 1,887 euros, a figure above the national average, when in 2018 "we were at the bottom", stressed Nicolás Navarro.