New Cartagena Hospital Progresing Well

Construction of the new Cartagena hospital, at Santa Lucia, is progressing well, according to Ramón Luis Valcárcel, President of the Murcia region. The basic building work should be finished next year, allowing the subsequent fitting out of the hospital and its commissioning in early 2009.

The hospital will exceed 100,000 square metres in size, have over 600 beds and cost approximately 130 million Euros. The hospital will be of the highest standard, including the latest computer and communications technology, and will be as friendly as possible for people with disabilities.

A special surgical block will include all the very latest services and facilities, including plastic surgery. There will also be: a central laboratory service; an emergency department; a central imaging service, to help with diagnostics and treatment; and facilities for follow-up consultations and primary health care. It will also include aerodynamics, radiotherapy and a unit caring for dementia sufferers.

The regional government is giving health services a high priority at a time when the population and economy of the region are expanding significantly.