Grupo Sanitario Ribera President Víctor Sanz has set a target: double the group’s size in four years through acquisitions of hospitals and clinics across Spain and Portugal. He outlined the plan at the VII Simposio del Observatorio de la Sanidad, as Spain’s private healthcare sector begins to consolidate.
“We have a four-year growth plan and are open to opportunities in the Iberian Peninsula, Portugal included,” Sanz said. He stressed that every deal must fit Ribera’s expanding network. The group’s recent purchase of a hospital group with sites in Benidorm and Denia puts the plan in motion. Ribera now operates in five countries. Sanz describes Spain’s healthcare market as “overly atomized” and says it needs investment and scale. Ribera’s official statements call the HCB deal its largest private healthcare investment to date. The acquisition added two hospitals in Benidorm and Denia, three medical centers in Calpe, Moraira, and Albir, and two diagnostic imaging centers in Alicante. More than 650 employees joined the group.
The Spanish competition authority (CNMC) approved Ribera’s acquisition of HCB on September 21, 2026, subject to specific commitments to ensure compliance with competition rules.
Efficiency is Ribera’s basic selling point. Sanz says the group’s healthcare cost per covered person is 25% lower than that of the public system. He also points to shorter waiting lists for surgery and consultations, along with higher patient satisfaction. He attributes these results to tight management and a lead to innovate, particularly in sick leave protocols designed to help employees return to work faster and boost national productivity.
Ribera aims to build a network that lets doctors and staff move easily between sites. Sanz says retaining talent is basic and revealed that the group may offer doctors a stake in the company, following the model of its French affiliate Vivalto Santé, where medical professionals own 30% of shares across 50 hospitals. Ribera’s staff turnover in Spain is 4%, which Sanz links to the selective inclusion of doctors as shareholders. Leading Spanish business media reported that Ribera was selected as the exclusive candidate for the HCB deal in November 2025; the sale closed about seven months later. Ribera says integration will be gradual, maintaining continuity of care while using the combined network to support further European growth with Vivalto Santé.
Before the HCB acquisition, Ribera already managed Ribera Imske Hospital, Vinalopó University Hospital, 14 primary care centers, three clinics, the Nefrosol dialysis center, Ribera Lab, and the Futurs technology company in the Valencian Community. The HCB assets further strengthen Ribera’s presence along the Alicante coast. The Denia hospital officially opened in November 2022.
Waiting lists are another focus. Ribera directs resources toward the 4% of patients over 64 who use 80% of healthcare resources. Sanz says this approach prevents 41% of readmissions and 27% of consultations, freeing up operating rooms and helping the system run more smoothly. The group presents this data-driven strategy as basic to its plan for a modern, sustainable healthcare business.
Spain’s healthcare sector faces pressure to modernize and reduce waste. Public and private providers are looking for new ways to deliver care and control costs, including through technology adoption in hospitals.
With a focus on efficiency and talent retention, Ribera is positioning itself for the next phase of healthcare consolidation in Spain and Portugal through acquisitions. The group says it assesses each move for its fit within a network designed to serve patients across the region.
