Cádiz's new hospital takes a major step forward with almost €50 million investment

Regional government to fund project design and works coordination, bringing long awaited healthcare upgrade closer to reality

The new hospital for Cádiz has taken its most concrete step yet, with the Andalusian Regional Government set to allocate almost €50 million towards drawing up the project, managing the construction and coordinating safety on site.

The announcement came from Antonio Sanz, the Minister of the Presidency, Health and Emergencies, who shared the news via a video on social media, describing it as "this decisive step" towards finally delivering the health infrastructure Cádiz has been waiting for. The investment is expected to be formally authorised by the Governing Council this Tuesday, September 22, taking the long running tender process another step closer to completion.

Once built, the new hospital will offer 663 beds, including 79 for ICU and intermediate care covering both adults and children. Alongside it, San Carlos Hospital in San Fernando will continue operating and contribute a further 119 beds, bringing the combined total to 782 across both sites. The complex will include new care areas covering maternal and child health, emergency medicine, intensive care, diagnostics, surgery and general hospitalisation.

The new facility will absorb services currently provided by Puerta del Mar University Hospital, and is expected to serve a combined population of around 1.4 million people across Cádiz, Ceuta and Gibraltar.

The timing of the announcement is notable too. It came just hours after Juan Carlos Ruiz Boix, general secretary of the PSOE in Cádiz, criticised the regional government for what he called a lack of progress on the project. Sanz's announcement followed swiftly, fulfilling a commitment first made back in July.

That commitment also included a €10 million allocation in the 2026 budget and the project's inclusion in an acceleration unit, which Sanz previously called "essential" for cutting down timelines and speeding up the overall process.

Beyond the funding itself, the hospital will also include teaching and research facilities, among them a clinical simulation centre, laboratories, classrooms and seminar rooms, as well as the usual behind the scenes services such as admissions, logistics, kitchens and laundry.

There's still groundwork to finish before construction can properly begin. Last week, the regional government signed the order accepting the Zona Franca land earmarked for the hospital, though that order still needs publishing in the Official Gazette of the Regional Government of Andalusia. Only once that's done can the final transfer document be signed, allowing the land to be officially registered.

"We continue working to improve public healthcare in Andalusia," Sanz said, adding that the new hospital will help healthcare services adapt to the needs of the surrounding area.

Image: Junta de Andalucía