The Mayor of Cártama, José Garrido, is hoping that work on the new medical facility, the Centro Hospitalario de Alta Resolución de Especialidades del Valle del Guadalhorce, can begin in parallel with urbanisation of the surrounding area in order to prevent any further delays to the project.
Only a few weeks ago, the Provincial Delegate for Health of the Junta de Andalucía, María Antigua Escalera, insisted that work on the project, budgeted at €21.6 million and being carried out by the company Ferrovial, must begin before the end of the year.
The hospital project has a completion period of 28 months and the 10,000 square metre building will include, amongst other facilities, 50 double rooms, four operating theatres and 23 consulting rooms.
Ferrovial presented the planning permission request three weeks ago and the Mayor is trying to ensure that all the necessary permits are issued in the shortest time possible.
The original agreement signed by the Ministry of Health of the Junta de Andalucía, the Diputación de Málaga and Cártama Municipal Council provided that the Council would have to surrender the plot completely urbanized and with all the necessary services needed to undertake the construction of the hospital.
As this has obviously not happened, the Council now wants to try and have both projects working in parallel.