Ceuta’s only hospital faced a sharp rise in demand after thousands of migrants crossed from Morocco during the mass arrivals of 30 and 31 July 2026, but Spain’s Ministry of Health said the system was holding. Minister Mónica García, after meeting Ceuta’s president, Juan Jesús Vivas, rejected claims of a “collapse” and stressed that impressive services for residents continued. The two assessments framed a continuing dispute: national authorities said care remained operational, while Vivas later described pressure far beyond normal, saying, “De normalidad nada.”
García called for immediate action to provide safe, sanitary spaces for migrants, warning that risks arose outside hospital walls, where many remained in makeshift camps. She said associating migrants with disease was unfair and xenophobic, and emphasized public-health measures to prevent outbreaks. Over the two weeks covered by her figures, 5,800 migrants received medical attention in Ceuta: 3,500 in primary care and 2,300 in hospital settings. More than 1,100 were treated in a single day during the initial surge. Daily numbers then fell by 70%. Separately, Spain’s Ministry of Health was cited as reporting an average of 120 migrant healthcare attendances a day, twice the earlier level.
By October, Vivas said activity in the hospital’s emergency department had risen by 400% following the arrivals. That figure reflects the scale of pressure he described later in the crisis, alongside the earlier fall in daily attendances from the initial peak. The Hospital Universitario de Ceuta, operated by the Instituto Nacional de Gestión Sanitaria (INGESA), also issued an internal communication urging staff to strengthen prevention measures amid increased demand linked to recent migration flows. It reminded staff to apply standard precautions to every patient and to use protective equipment, along with additional hygiene and organizational measures, as needed to reduce exposure to biological agents. The guidance concerned workplace prevention and did not characterize migrants as a disease threat.
Despite the strain, García said no surgeries or consultations for local residents had been suspended and that the hospital remained at Level 1 of the national emergency response guide. She credited Ceuta’s 1,475 healthcare workers, supported by 60 additional staff brought in for the crisis, with preventing a breakdown in services. The Ministry had not needed to request reinforcements from other regions or cancel staff holidays, she said, unlike the military and Guardia Civil.
Vivas maintained that Ceuta lacked the resources to house those arriving and called for their return, arguing that decisions on returns rested with Spain’s central government. The late-July arrivals put the city’s child-protection system under exceptional pressure: Vivas said the number of minors in its care had risen from about 180 before the influx to roughly 3,300 afterward. By 22 October, the city reported 3,390 minors in its care and said it had opened 12 extraordinary facilities. Its network had expanded to 22 facilities, including three structural centres, compared with an ordinary capacity of about 29 children. The local government began moving unaccompanied minors from a sports hall to two industrial buildings, but those sites could accommodate only a fraction of those needing care. The city had previously said police registered nearly 1,900 minors, an earlier count in the course of the crisis.
Medical staff reported more cases of gastroenteritis, isolated cases of tuberculosis and scabies, as well as heatstroke and injuries associated with poor living conditions. As of the Sunday cited in the initial account, 28 migrants remained hospitalized. García stressed that illness among migrants should not be used to justify xenophobic attitudes, noting that similar health issues also occur among the local population.
Public frustration grew, with some residents voicing anger during the minister’s visit. Healthcare workers also raised concerns about workload and resources. Ceuta’s government urged the Ministry to address staff demands, describing the moment as one of the most critical in the city’s recent history. Vivas later said around 15,000 people who arrived during the late-July episode remained in the city, adding pressure across public services, including healthcare and child protection, as well as accommodation and policing.
García also confirmed that five migrant women had received care after sexual assaults. Three months after the arrivals, Vivas criticized the absence of returns through administrative resolution under Spain’s immigration structure and continued to call for action by the central government. The matter was also under judicial scrutiny, with a judge requesting further information in proceedings connected to the handling of the crisis. For further context on the political and operational challenges Ceuta has faced during similar surges, see this analysis of government response and public backlash.
Ceuta’s position as a Spanish enclave in North Africa makes it a frequent entry point for migrants seeking to reach Europe. The government’s response is being watched as a test of Spain’s broader migration and public-health policies. With impressive numbers still in the city months after the July arrivals, coordinated action between local and national authorities remains urgent as pressure on services and public debate continue.
