The Technical Assistance Board (JTA) of the Hospital Universitario de La Paz, a collegiate body that advises the management, demands that the Government of the Community of Madrid begin the remodeling works of the hospital due to the great deterioration suffered by its facilities, which They date from the year 1964.
Among the crews that are in an unfortunate situation, the CCOO denounces, highlights "the painful situation of the emergency service, the pipe breaks in some hospitalization floors or the non-functioning of the heating in some operating rooms." In addition, the union recalls, "the current structure of the building has become obsolete for healthcare with new technologies and state-of-the-art machines."
"The start of the works is already more than two years late," Antonio Buño, a doctor and spokesman for the Technical Assistance Board, told La Vanguardia. This body, made up mainly of doctors and nurses, although it also has some management representatives and social workers, is going to hold an Assembly next week for the more than 8,300 employees of one of the reference hospitals in the Community of Madrid, to explain "the lack of information when the works of the new hospital did not start".
More than 1,000 signatures have also been collected and a letter has been sent to the Government of Isabel Díaz Ayuso demanding "an urgent meeting". The award of the works was scheduled for the end of 2021, but that contest for the construction companies has not yet been put out to tender. The remodeling works involve demolishing complete buildings in phases and that these services are attended to during construction in other hospitals, such as the Isabel Zendal Nurse Emergency Hospital.
Buño hints that the Madrid government could be studying changes to the initial project, "which would split the current hospital in two", which does not make any sense "from a health point of view." This initiative was promoted in October 2022, but was later discarded. One of the hypotheses that hovers over the professionals in La Paz is that it could "be considering again." For the JTA, the emblematic building to be remodeled is "the Castellana because the Ministry of Health has already tendered works at the Carlos III University Hospital, but these are smaller," recalls the expert.
The new La Paz hospital is expected to have 1,200 individual rooms; the day posts will go from 162 to 243 and the consultations will increase from the current 393 to 590. In addition, the operating rooms will be increased from the current 52 to 59 and it is expected that there will be 255 emergency posts compared to the current 164 . The construction of a small hotel is even planned for relatives who come from other autonomous communities or professionals who come from other centers.
For Buño, it is essential to keep La Paz in its current location due to "its proximity to the Autonomous University's medical school, research centers and other hospital complexes." In addition, its proximity to the Carlos III Hospital and the Cantoblanco Hospital, which depend on La Paz, is relevant.
From CCOO they emphasize that "the latest images of the project-model of Castellana Norte do not show the construction of the hospital on the plot where La Paz is now, a detail that has increased the concern of the Technical Assistance Board".
The initial project had a budget of a fork of 540 to 700 million. The Community of Madrid has a credit from the European Investment Bank (EIB) of more than 500 million "with which there is money to start the works, which have four phases of execution," Buño emphasizes.
In the preparation of the initial project, 700 health professionals organized into 13 groups participated, who drafted the care needs for the future of a large hospital, such as La Paz. In addition, it has 90% of the support of the heads of service. So far, 17 million have been invested in the preparations, presentations and designs of the comprehensive reform of La Paz; but the works do not start.
The direction and management, who share the need to start the construction of the new Peace, remain silent by unaware of the delays that come from the Ministry of Health, led by Enrique Ruíz Escudero. Madrid is almost in the pre-electoral campaign, but so far Ayuso has not given the green light to start the tender for the award of the works, much less the demolition of the first building.
