Date Published: 25/02/2025

Alhama health centre expansion delayed until 2026

Murcia residents and local officials express disappointment as long-awaited improvements to healthcare services face further delays

The long-anticipated expansion of the Alhama de Murcia health centre has been pushed back once again, with work now not expected to begin until at least 2026. This news came to light following a meeting on Monday February 24 between Alhama's Mayor, Rosa Sánchez, and the Minister of Health for the Autonomous Community, Juan José Pedreño, along with other officials.

Mayor Sánchez, who had specifically requested the meeting to address key healthcare concerns in the municipality, expressed her deep disappointment at the delay. She recalled that the Minister had originally presented the preliminary project for the expansion back in March 2024. At that time, there was an expectation that work would begin much sooner, but the Minister has now stated that the tender process for the project will not even take place until the first quarter of 2026.

"We do not understand the delay when it was presented a year ago and now we have to wait, at least, another year to see its start," said Sánchez.

The expansion is seen as a crucial step in improving healthcare provision for the town's growing population. Currently, conditions at both the Health Centre and the Primary Care Emergency Service are described as "suffocating". According to the mayor, the limited space available to medical staff makes it difficult for them to work effectively. Patients, too, are feeling the strain, with many forced to wait standing or even outside the building due to overcrowding.

"The space that professionals have to work is minimal, something that we all see and suffer when we have to wait standing or in the street to access these services and we believe that it is our turn," Sánchez stated.

Another key issue raised at the meeting was the continued closure of medical offices in Alhama's outlying districts, which have remained shut since the Covia-19 pandemic. The Mayor criticised the lack of action on this matter, noting that the Town Hall had been forced to invest in improvement works for these facilities in the expectation that they would soon reopen. Despite this, the Ministry of Health has now indicated that there are no immediate plans to restore these services.

"The Ministry of Health has no intention, for the moment, of opening them immediately," Sánchez said. "The Autonomous Community forced the City Council to carry out improvement works in these spaces so that they would reopen as soon as possible, and after having financed them entirely from the Council, they tell us that they do not plan to do so in a short period of time."

The meeting also addressed changes to the Breast Cancer Prevention Programme, which previously operated through a mobile AECC unit that visited the municipality. However, from 2025 onwards, women requiring these screenings are being referred to contracted hospitals in the city of Murcia instead. Sánchez has urged the Minister to consider alternative solutions that would be more convenient for local residents. She suggested that these vital screenings could be carried out at the Alhama Health Centre in the afternoons or, alternatively, at the Virgen de la Arrixaca University Hospital, which is accessible via a direct bus service from Alhama.

While the Minister acknowledged these concerns, he stated that, for the time being, screenings would continue to be conducted at the contracted centres in Murcia. However, he indicated that for future campaigns, efforts would be made to offer the service either at the local Health Centre or at Arrixaca Hospital.

In response to the delays and ongoing healthcare challenges, Mayor Sánchez has now requested a meeting with the regional president, Fernando López Miras. She hopes to gain his support in expediting the Health Centre expansion and ensuring that much-needed improvements to local healthcare services are delivered as soon as possible.

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Images: Ayuntamiento de Alhama de Murcia

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Tourist Office Alhama de Murcia, Plaza Constitucion. Frente Auditorio, nº 10, 30840, ALHAMA DE MURCIA

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Oficina de Turismo de Alhama de Murcia

Alhama de Murcia Tourist Office

Alhama de Murcia Tourist information office is located on the edge of the Plaza de la Constitución, just a few metres away from the underground car park and the Town hall of Alhama de Murcia.

The tourist office offers free guided audiotours in English which take visitors around the historical sites of interest in Alhama. These be loaned at any time, although allow an hour and a half to complete the tour, and when loaning the audio equipment visitors are asked to leave passports or ID cards with the tourist office.

The office also carries a full range of leaflets for the archaeological museum of Los Baños, which is built around the historic spa which gives Alhama its name, and the mountains of Sierra Espuña, which is also an important area within the municipality of Alhama. Areas such as El Berro and Gebas have a number of interesting routes which can be followed and there are several picnic areas and good walking routes within the Sierra Espuña natural park.

The tourist office also carries leaflets for the many cultural events and fiestas which take place in Alhama throughout the year, including Los Mayos, Semana Santa, Christmas,the Romería of La Candelaria and the Auto de los Reyes Magos in El Berro.