The old Son Dureta Hospital looks set to be reopened as a centre for the chronically ill and dependent patients. The regional government is currently discussing this with the Social Secretary Treasury, which owns the hospital. Indications from Madrid are that there won't be any objection.
Assuming that the project does get the go-ahead, it will be the most significant one that the current government will carry out. The budget is said to be around 100 million euros for work to be done in three stages that won't be fully completed until 2021 or 2022.
The plan on which the government is currently working would involve demolishing the buildings for the maternity and paediatric wing and for outpatient consultations. The semicircular building - the adults wing - will be redeveloped and two new buildings will be put up.
Services that will be provided will include a palliative care unit for the terminally ill, a neuro-rehabilitation unit, a long-stay wing for patients with chronic complaints, and a unit for patients with dementia. The plan for Son Dureta envisages it being a response to the needs of chronically ill patients, who typically account for some two-thirds of admissions to emergency wings and create conditions of overcrowding.