Estepona Hospital to activate 80% of services with 58 new professionals
The Regional Government announces the opening of the operating room and 24-hour laboratory while the citizens’ platform calls for a demonstration to demand 100%
Estepona Hospital will expand its activity to 80% of its service portfolio with the incorporation of 58 professionals, as announced by Health Minister Antonio Sanz after meeting with Mayor José María García Urbano. However, the Citizens’ Platform has called for a demonstration on December 13 to demand the full opening of the center, five years after its inauguration.
Staff reinforcement and new services
The Andalusian Health Service will incorporate 58 new structural professionals to the hospital, a measure approved by the Governing Council on October 22. The distribution includes 20 specialist physicians (including six anesthesiologists, four general surgeons, and three orthopedic surgeons), 14 nurses, ten nursing assistants, six laboratory specialists and three radiologists, plus two administrative staff and three porters.
With this reinforcement, the staff will increase from 78 to 136 professionals. Until now, the hospital only offered outpatient consultations, rehabilitation, partial radiology, and emergency services.
Activation of operating rooms and 24-hour diagnostics
The expansion will enable the complete surgical block to become operational, including the Day Surgery Hospital and the Post-Anesthesia Recovery Unit (PACU). The Functional Tests Unit will also be activated, which will incorporate endoscopies, and diagnostic capacity will be expanded with the laboratory and radiology operating 24 hours a day.
Minister Antonio Sanz emphasized that “this increase in professionals is not a numerical increase, but the arrival of strategic profiles that allow the hospital to function as it was designed”.
Union position: celebrate progress but demand continuity
Esteperiódico has contacted the FAC-USO union, which represents some of the workers at Estepona Hospital. Cristina Rubiales, FAC-USO union delegate and member of the Staff Board of Costa del Sol Hospital, confirmed that in a meeting on November 14, the center’s management informed them of the plan to incorporate professionals until reaching approximately 80% of the service portfolio.
“From FAC-USO we welcome this news, as the complete opening of Estepona Hospital has been a constant demand of our organization,” stated Rubiales, who added that they trust “that several years will not pass again before continuing to expand the service portfolio to reach 100%”.
The union delegate explained that the incorporations have begun in a first phase at Costa del Sol Hospital, to later move to Estepona Hospital, and that they will be “vigilant of any incidents that may arise”.
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Citizens’ platform demands full opening
The Platform for the Comprehensive Opening of Estepona Hospital has called for a demonstration on Saturday, December 13 at 12:00 PM in front of the Town Hall. The platform’s spokesperson, Lali Montero, criticized the announcement: “The Health Minister now announces that the hospital will open at 80% in January 2026. But Estepona doesn’t want patches or percentages: it wants a hospital at 100%”.
The platform regrets that no mention has been made of opening the hospitalization area or the availability of all laboratory tests 24 hours a day. Montero recalled that President Juanma Moreno promised a complete hospital five years ago, and that the building was financed by Estepona Town Council through an agreement whereby the Regional Government committed to providing material and human resources.
Political reactions
PSOE spokesperson Emma Molina considers the announcement “purely election-oriented” and responds to citizen pressure in the face of what she calls “the dismantling of public health by Moreno Bonilla’s government”. Estepona Hospital has been the subject of multiple citizen mobilizations since its official inauguration, demanding the complete activation of all its services.
For 2026, an investment of 190,000 euros is planned for fire safety work in the hospital warehouse.