New GP practice and upgrades for existing clinics in Fuengirola 'very soon'

A BRAND-NEW doctors' surgery is on the cards very shortly for Fuengirola, and two existing ones will be extended and refurbished – part of a raft of measures aimed at upgrading primary health care in the province of Málaga.

Mayoress Ana Mula met with MP for the province, Patricia Navarro, where it was confirmed that the job of building a new clinic in Los Pacos was about to be put out to tender with a budget of €7 million.

Regional health authorities have recently given the go-ahead for the original plans to be upgraded, as they had been drafted before the pandemic and were no longer suitable.

The next major medical facilities in the town to be given an overhaul are the Los Boliches (shown above, from Twitter) and the Fuengirola Oeste GP practices, both set for complete refurbishments.

Sra Navarro says her department is working hard to 'meet social demand and requests from town councils' within the province by 'pulling projects out of the drawer and getting the ball rolling on forgotten infrastructure plans'.

Before the Los Pacos clinic works were announced, Andalucía regional government had just finished opening the Costa del Sol District Healthcare offices on the top floor of the El Boquetillo market, and also a mental health unit serving the entire province.

“This year, 2021, will be the year of the local surgery,” says Sra Navarro.

“GP practices are the gateway to the health service, and they're where we're going to start seeing the improvements that medical professionals and patients have been clamouring for for years.

“Despite the circumstances we're going through at the moment and the fact that our absolute priority is dealing with the effects of the pandemic, we need to keep working in a decisive fashion on future facilities so that, when the current situation passes, we'll be in a stronger, steadier position.”

As well as the health centres, Sra Navarro's provincial government, the Diputación de Málaga, has recently renovated and extended the fresh-fish harbour market in Fuengirola, gained the green light from the Andalucía port authority to build a new yacht marina, started the processes needed to build a new complex for the Pablo Ruiz Picasso primary school, and invested in all six of Fuengirola's high schools to 'upgrade their facilities and make them easier to access', the MP reveals.