The Pro Public Hospital Platform of Southern and Southwestern Tenerife is once again expressing concern regarding the timeline for the expansion of the Southern Hospital in El Mojón, Arona. The group fears that the process for drafting the reform and expansion project could face further delays and urges the Government of the Canary Islands not to postpone this essential action to improve healthcare in the southern municipalities.
The Health Department is expected to award the drafting of the first phase project shortly. The Contracting Board opened the first envelopes on March 24, and the awarding should be finalised from the 25th, two months after that procedure. However, the Platform warns that any deviation from the deadlines increases social anxiety, following over a year of waiting to activate this much-needed intervention.
There were eleven companies competing for the tender issued by the Canary Islands Health Service. Nine bids were accepted, with two of the six temporary unions needing to rectify documentation. The contract has a budget of nearly 1.1 million euros and a deadline of ten months for execution. The subsequent works are valued at around 40 million. The Government plans to allocate 14 million in the next year’s regional budget to commence the work, with the aim of completing the expansion by 2029.
An Urgent Need in the Region
For the Platform, the issue is not just administrative. They have consistently stated that every month lost leaves the South with inadequate healthcare infrastructure for a growing population and for a region that bears an immense tourist pressure. The hospital serves Arico, Granadilla de Abona, Vilaflor de Chasna, San Miguel de Abona, Arona, Adeje, Guía de Isora, and Santiago del Teide.
The first phase includes the completion of two structural modules, the creation of new assistance units, and the connection of all buildings within the complex. One of the modules will have three floors and will house the new Accident and Emergency department, Imaging Diagnosis, storage areas, central facilities, admissions, outpatient consultations, functional tests, rehabilitation, education, and a cafeteria.
Concern arises from the need for the works to be awarded within the first half of 2027
The second module will feature four floors and will house laboratories, blood collection and bank, post-surgical recovery, intensive care, haemodynamics, resuscitation, and hospitalisation facilities. It will also enable the renovation of the surgical block and enhance the Accident and Emergency, Outpatient Consultations, and Imaging Diagnosis departments. In total, the project will add 25,596 square metres to the current surface area.
A crucial aspect of the project is that the Southern Hospital will double its capacity. It will increase from the current 150 beds to 300 once the first phase is completed. The Platform emphasises that this increase is urgent because the current situation affects daily care and maintains a reliance on referrals to other hospital centres.
The Dependence on Socio-Health Beds
The group has highlighted the lack of socio-health beds. Approximately 60% of patients currently hospitalised are discharged individuals in need of a socio-health bed, which is unavailable. This situation blocks hospital resources and exacerbates congestion. Therefore, they demand progress on the construction of the socio-health complex planned at the former CAE El Mojón.
Since the tender presentation, the group has held meetings with business, social, and citizen entities to maintain pressure on the Government. Their goal is to prevent further unjustified delays and ensure that the project award occurs without additional hold-ups.
The Platform does not rule out intensifying its protests if it observes that the timeline continues to stretch. While acknowledging that the tender process is ongoing, they insist that the residents of the South cannot be satisfied with mere announcements or forecasts.
