The new Rincón de Loix Health Center will be operational before the end of the year after an investment of 5.5 million euros

The Valencian Regional Government's Department of Health plans to open the new Rincón de Loix Health Centre before the end of this year to improve the quality of healthcare for thousands of residents and visitors. The Mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, visited the construction site this Monday with the President of the Generalitat, Carlos Mazón, and Minister Marciano Gómez, during a visit also attended by other municipal council members; a large representation of healthcare personnel, led by the Department's manager, Pascual Pastor; and neighborhood residents, the future users of this health center.

Toni Pérez recalled that the City Council definitively ceded the land on which this clinic stands, a 3,558-square-meter plot located on Calle Zamora, next to the Antonio López Football Fields, "in 2017, after nearly 40 years of collaboration, first with the Ministry of Health and then with the Regional Government, so that Rincón de Loix could have a clinic initially for displaced people and later to serve thousands of people, thanks to the municipal expansions that followed." The mayor emphasised that "Rincón is a very important residential area" and that, "after many years of demanding it, it will finally have a health centre like this neighbourhood deserves."

The mayor also referred to the construction of this health centre, a project conceived by the previous regional government that "listened to no one." Thus, he recalled, "unfortunately, this centre was built on a large plot of land, but without a planned parking lot, despite the City Council and the Health Department's Personnel Board having requested it. And also without a gym for physiotherapy and rehabilitation." On this point, Pérez insisted that "fortunately, since 2023, with the government of Carlos Mazón in the Generalitat, we have begun to be listened to, at least partially. Because by the time we were able to be heard," he continued, "the parking operation was already unsurmountable, but something that was also fundamental was addressed, such as incorporating a rehabilitation gym," thus completing "the new areas for Pediatrics, Maternity, and consultations, which make it a very up-to-date health center in keeping with the times."

"Today we have entered a new phase: completing the construction and beginning daily work at a state-of-the-art health center, a truly innovative healthcare facility that will ensure that Benidorm has a healthcare facility in Rincón de Loix at the level this neighborhood deserves," the mayor added. Finally, Toni Pérez reaffirmed the "full collaboration of the City Council, as has been the case until now, so that all staff, healthcare activities, and care can be relocated here as soon as possible." After this, "we will once again take on another challenge, through municipal action, so that Rincón de Loix can enjoy new spaces in the facilities that until now housed the clinic and whose use, after almost four decades, we will finally recover," he concluded.

More than 22,000 health cards

For his part, the Minister of Health also stated that today was "a day of satisfaction to come and visit a project that will finally allow the residents of Rincón de Loix to soon have the healthcare facilities they deserve." The Minister noted that this health centre has "approximately 22,000 health cards" assigned; specifically, 20,500 registered residents, plus another 2,550 without a doctor, in addition to the thousands of tourists who stay in the many hotels and tourist apartments in this area and require healthcare during their stay.

The Minister noted that the Generalitat (Catalan Government) has invested nearly €5.5 million in these projects and explained that they are scheduled to be completed in just over a month. From there, the installation of the equipment will begin, followed by the transfer of activity from the old clinic to the new facilities. The facility will be operational by the end of the year, with a modern, functional health centre equipped with a broad portfolio of services."

Specifically, the building consists of approximately 2,700 square meters, housing 18 Primary Care consultations, 12 of which will be Family Medicine, six Nursing, and one multipurpose room. In addition, a Paediatrics area has been equipped with two medical consultations and one Nursing area, along with spaces for blood extractions, social work, and maternal and childbirth care.

Marciano Gómez also detailed that this new centre will have a "totally innovative" continuous care point for emergencies, equipped with three observation bays and one for critical care, along with rooms for treating primary care patients, and an area for ambulance parking.

Finally, he noted that this facility "will also have a rehabilitation and physiotherapy gym for the residents of this area," which was not included in the initial project. This has led to the construction taking a few months longer than originally planned, and will increase the centre's surface area by approximately 275 square meters. Regarding this matter, the Regional Minister of Health recalled that "until now, 3,400 patients had to travel to La Cala each year to receive rehabilitation and physiotherapy sessions, and now they will be treated at their health centre, while also improving their quality of life."

The President of the Generalitat (Regional Government), Carlos Mazón, who discussed these works and the proposals and needs with residents, healthcare personnel, and municipal representatives, reiterated "the Regional Government's commitment to quality public healthcare" and in this regard highlighted "the 8% increase in the Regional Ministry of Health's budget for 2025, which at €9.186 billion is the largest in the region's history" in the Valencian Community.