By Molly Grace
Copyright euroweeklynews
The expansion of Hospital Vega Baja in Orihuela has entered its final phase, bringing a long-running upgrade closer to completion and promising a significant boost to healthcare across the Vega Baja comarca.
Work, carried out by the UTE Rover-Germania consortium, forms part of a €70 million investment that includes an extra €8 million authorised by the Generalitat Valenciana in 2024. When finished, the hospital will gain 14,696 square metres of new space, taking total built area to more than 50,000 square metres and increasing capacity by about 40%.
The enlargement will add outpatient services and specialist clinics, new operating theatres and strengthened critical-care provision. The expansion includes specialties such as cardiology and neurology. The work will allow the centre to offer additional specialties and reduce pressure on existing facilities. Hospital capacity will rise to a maximum of 372 hospitalisation beds, 42 more than before, following the construction of two new annex buildings. Local and regional authorities are also planning improvements around the hospital to enhance access and mobility. Orihuela City Council and hospital management have discussed reordering vehicular access, creating new parking areas and park-and-ride sites, and measures to streamline movement for patients, staff and visitors. These works will be planned by the council and funded from regional budgets.
Flood-prevention measures form a central part of the project. The hospital, built on land reclaimed from orchards beside the Segura river, was cut off during the extreme rains of September 2019, when the CV-91 road flooded and parts of the ground floor and some operating theatres were inundated. To prevent a repeat, authorities are constructing a stormwater retention basin and related drainage works on land adjacent to the hospital to channel excess water in heavy downpours.
The regional government began expropriations in May, affecting five plots totalling 15,915 square metres, mostly lemon groves, to create the retention basin. The scheme, part of a basic flood-defence and drainage plan, carried an estimated budget of €1.3 million and follows a 2022 declaration of public utility and urgent occupation published in the regional official journal.
Local officials described the expansion as the fulfilment of a long-standing demand. The original hospital was won by public mobilisation in the 1980s, including a general strike in Orihuela in 1986, and supporters say the current enlargement honours that civic legacy. Construction began in March 2023 after a protracted planning period; however, works have been delayed by exceptional events, including the 2019 floods. Health managers and politicians argue the enlarged facility will improve service quality, provide more functional spaces for patients and staff, and widen the range of care available within the comarca. With modernised services and extra capacity, the hospital is expected to better serve a protected population exceeding 180,000 residents across Orihuela and surrounding towns.
As final works progress, authorities say they will coordinate the completion of building works with necessary upgrades to roads, parking and emergency resilience so the expanded hospital can open with safe and efficient access for those it serves.
