The Orihuela councillor for Health, Irene Celdrán, has insisted that she wants to resume the project proposed three years ago by the then concessionaire of the Torrevieja Health Department, Ribera Salud, before the Valencian Community Government moved it back into public management, and that is to build a second health centre on the Orihuela Costa, “since due to the size of the Orihuela Costa in summer the Torrevieja Hospital cannot cope, and neither is a single health centre able to support the coastal population,” she said.
Thus, she intends to offer the Ministry of Health the same plot originally suggested by Emilio Bascuñana, the UR PAU 20 plot in La Ciñuelica, north of Orihuela Costa and bordering Torrevieja, a plot that covers 10,693 square metres.
Celdrán is now waiting for the Minister of Health, Marciano Gómez, to give her an appointment to meet, where she will be able to propose the change of project, the construction of a second centre rather than the planned expansion of the current building.
In addition, she will demand a solution to the deficiencies of several clinics in the urban area and the districts. “We are not against improvements, but there would be better amenities and facilities with a second health centre,” insisted the councillor.
In order to provide a second health centre, however, the council must be able to justify it by the number of medical records in the area it serves.
Thus, to have two health centres, there must be 25,000 registered people, whereby in Orihuela Costa there are 17,000 registered. This is where the City Council will have an impact, asking that the large non-registered population that usually resides in the coastal and floating urbanisations, which triples during holiday periods, also be taken into account. “We must not forget the many thousands of people who arrive in the area to visit their second homes, and who need to see a doctor,” he Orihuela Councillor said.
However, the Ministry of Health has said that it is still contemplating the expansion of the current health centre and is waiting to receive the transfer of the adjacent lot, currently used as the medical centre car park. The Consell says that it is still committed to the expansion and reform of the current health centre rather than the construction of a new one.
Irene Celdrán, meanwhile, insisted that in addition to this project being insufficient to serve the entire registered and resident population, using the parking lot, where the expansion would go, would create a big problem for user access.
