Estepona: Where Hospitals Open and Debts Close

A Hospital That Actually Works, a Debt That Actually Disappears, and a Mayor Who Doesn’t Get Paid: The Strange Case of Estepona

In times when many municipalities seem to have specialized in justifying why they cannot — cannot invest, cannot reduce debt, cannot improve public services — Estepona once again takes center stage in one of those episodes that, viewed from the outside, would seem almost like a fantasy tale.

But no: it’s real, it’s happening, and it has names and figures.

Estepona’s mayor, José María García Urbano, announced after a meeting with Andalusia’s regional minister for Health, Presidency, and Emergencies, Antonio Sanz, that the Andalusian Health Service (SAS) will immediately incorporate58 new professionals into Estepona Hospital. With this, the staff will rise to136 workers, enabling the facility — entirely built by the Estepona City Council, a fact worth repeating again and again — to finally become fully operational and effective.

Yes, a municipal hospital. In Spain. And it works.

A hospital that grows while other municipalities continue “studying solutions.”

With this staff expansion, the entire surgical block will open, including the Day Surgery Unit; the Functional Testing Unit — which includes, among other things, endoscopy services — will be activated; and diagnostic capacity will expand with a24-hour laboratory and radiodiagnostic service.

Added to this is reinforcement in emergency services and the incorporation of nurses, healthcare assistants, and technical staff, enabling, as the minister himself explained, “continuous and effective” care.

All this while neighboring municipalities inaugurate roundabouts with the same epic grandeur once reserved for cathedrals.

From300 million in debt to “zero debt”: a case study for political science.

The hospital’s situation cannot be understood without mentioning what has happened over the past decade.

Eleven years ago, Estepona carried a debt exceeding300 million euros. Today, it boasts zero debt.

Yes: zero. Zero euros. Nothing.

A figure so unusual in local government that some mayors in the province whisper it to themselves like a mantra, hoping it might rub off.

And, to top it off, municipal taxes have been consistently reduced while investments in infrastructure — parks, cultural facilities, urban regeneration projects, and, of course, a hospital now welcoming58 new professionals — have increased.

Perhaps some municipalities should request a copy of this method. Or maybe they’re distracted by more pressing matters, such as endless budget debates that never materialize.

A mayor without a salary: another phenomenon worthy of study.

García Urbano insists — and rightly so — that all this has been achieved without him receiving a single euro from the city council.

No salary, no allowances, no compensation.

In a country where some mayors seem to collect supplements even for breathing within municipal boundaries, this detail turns Estepona’s case into something almost paranormal.

Perhaps therein lies the key: if the mayor doesn’t draw a salary, maybe the money can go toward hospitals, infrastructure, public services — or even more extraordinary things, like paying off inherited debts.

Acknowledgments and realitiesIn his statement, García Urbano thanked Minister Antonio Sanz for his firm commitment to the hospital. Also present at the meeting were the regional delegate in Málaga, Patricia Navarro, and the director-general of Costa del Sol Hospital, Antonio Cansino, who both supported the immediate expansion of healthcare staff.

But the gratitude doesn’t obscure the fundamental fact: Estepona Hospital exists because the City Council decided to build it to strengthen public healthcare coverage for the city and the entire region.

A decision that, given the evolution of the city’s debt and its investment capacity, hardly seems like a whim.

Conclusion

While some city councils still flip through manuals on how to balance public accounts, Estepona inaugurates services, expands healthcare staff, and reduces taxes.

And it does so without debt.

And with a mayor who doesn’t draw a salary.

Other municipalities will have to reconsider something. Because, apparently, it was possible.