The Generalitat will invest over €175 million to expand Torrevieja Hospital. The project adds 30,000 square meters, nearly doubling capacity. More than 650 new staff will be hired in phases over five years.
The Generalitat has announced a €175 million expansion of Hospital Universitario de Torrevieja, aiming to address long-standing capacity issues in southern Alicante. President Juanfran Pérez Llorca outlined a plan that will increase the hospital's beds by 70% and add more than 650 staff over five years. The investment responds to steady population growth and the seasonal spikes that strain local health services, according to ABC Comunidad Valenciana.
Once complete, Torrevieja Hospital will grow from 270 to 457 beds. The project includes 150 new outpatient consultation rooms, expanded critical care, four additional operating theatres, new maternity facilities, and a day hospital. The work will be carried out in three phases: the first two years are set aside for design, followed by three years of construction. The local council has provided an 11,492-square-meter plot next to the hospital, allowing for a 75% increase in built area and 30,000 square meters of new space. Diario de Alicante notes that this land transfer was essential for the project’s scale.
The phased expansion plan is designed to ensure that clinical activity at Torrevieja Hospital continues uninterrupted throughout the five-year construction period.
Phase I, with a budget of €87.4 million, will deliver most of the new capacity: 457 beds, a specialty center, and 150 extra consultation rooms. Phase II, at €34.4 million, will modernize the existing building and add four operating rooms and new maternity suites. The final phase, budgeted at €27.4 million, will connect the new and old buildings and expand parking to 1,370 spaces. The hospital serves over 225,000 residents across ten municipalities, according to Demócrata.
The expansion also means a major hiring push. The plan calls for 667 new staff: 404 in the first two phases and 263 in the third. The annual payroll impact is estimated at €25.9 million. New hires will include medical specialists, nurses, imaging technicians, administrative staff, social workers, and physiotherapists. The goal is to meet both everyday demand and the summer influx of patients. ABC Comunidad Valenciana reports that hiring will be phased, with a focus on critical and specialized care.
Pérez Llorca contrasted this project with what he described as the "fake projects" of the previous Botànic government, pointing to abandoned or underfunded hospital plans like La Vila Joiosa. He emphasized that the current plan is based on "certainty and reality." Immediate steps include 12 new modular consultation rooms and 188 additional healthcare positions to reduce waiting lists.
The Torrevieja Hospital expansion is part of a wider regional program, with similar modernization projects underway in hospitals like Marina Baixa and Castellón, indicating a coordinated effort to strengthen the Valencian Community’s hospital network.
The Torrevieja project is one of several in the region. Other upgrades are planned or underway in Los Montesinos, San Miguel de Salinas, Guardamar del Segura, La Loma, Pilar de la Horadada, and Orihuela Costa. The Valencian Community’s 2026 health budget is €9.45 billion, up nearly 3% from last year and €1.2 billion higher than the final Botànic budget. Of this, €400 million is set aside for 22 hospital and health center projects, including new buildings at Hospital General de Elda and upgrades in La Vila Joiosa and Alicante’s Gerona Street health center.
Torrevieja’s expansion reflects a broader national trend of regional governments upgrading healthcare infrastructure to keep up with population growth and changing patient needs. Similar pressures have been reported elsewhere, such as Catalonia’s recent struggle to meet demand for specialized services.
What distinguishes the Torrevieja plan is its phased, budgeted approach and the focus on keeping the hospital running throughout construction. The Generalitat aims to show progress after years of stalled or symbolic projects. If the plan is carried out as described, Torrevieja will become one of the largest and best-equipped hospitals in the Valencian Community.
