Estepona’s new state-of-the-art hospital is set for a major transformation.
Years after opening, the Junta de Andalucia is set to increase its operations to 80% of its full capacity.
The expansion, approved by the regional government on October 22, will see the incorporation of 58 additional permanent staff.
The move will effectively convert the centre into the fully fledged surgical hospital it was originally designed to be.
The announcement was made by Antonio Sanz, the Junta’s health minister, following a strategic meeting with Malaga’s regional delegate Patricia Navarro, Estepona mayor Jose María García Urbano, and the director of the Costa del Sol Hospital, Antonio Cansino.
Until now, Estepona’s hospital has operated with a workforce of 78, offering outpatient care, rehabilitation, limited radiodiagnostics and an urgent-care unit.
Any patient requiring surgery or more complex procedures was routinely referred to the Costa del Sol Hospital in Marbella.
Under the new plan, the workforce will almost double to 136 professionals, with Sanz highlighting that this is not simply a numerical boost but the arrival of ‘strategic profiles’ essential for unlocking the hospital’s surgical block.
Key additions will include:
- 20 specialist doctors, among them six anaesthetists, four general surgeons and three trauma specialists
- 14 nurses and 10 auxiliary nursing technicians (TCAE)
- Six lab technicians and three radiology technicians
- Five staff across administration and porter services
Operating theatres to open ‘immediately’
The most significant change will be the long-awaited opening of the surgical block, including the day-surgery unit and the post-anaesthesia recovery area (URPA).
Local residents will, for the first time, be able to undergo operations in Estepona itself, easing pressure on the Costa del Sol Hospital and reducing waiting lists across the western Costa del Sol.
The hospital will also launch a Functional Testing Unit, with procedures such as endoscopies added to its services.
Meanwhile, both the laboratory and radiodiagnostics units will move to 24-hour operation, providing essential support to a strengthened emergency department.
Sanz framed the move as part of a broader push for ‘healthcare equity’, arguing that a fully operational hospital in Estepona will improve overall capacity and response times across the region.
Local authorities say the move marks a turning point for the western Costa del Sol, which has seen its population grow sharply in recent years.
Once the new services are activated, Estepona’s hospital will function as a full surgical and diagnostic hub, to the benefit of tens of thousands of residents.
