The demolition of parts of Son Dureta Hospital, which closed in 2010, will begin in January next year. Visiting the hospital yesterday, President Armengol said that the outpatients and maternity units will be the first buildings to be knocked down and then be replaced by a new four-storey building with 242 long-stay beds. Construction is due to start in 2020.
Armengol stressed that Son Dureta could not remain closed, which was why the government set about turning it into a new social-health complex. The hospital was closed when Son Espases opened, but it has continued to cost money. "We didn't want it to continue like that."
The president added that the new Son Dureta will respond to the needs of the present and especially the future. "It will be fundamental in giving comprehensive care to those with chronic complaints." There will be "no turning back" with the project, which will extend beyond the period of the current administration.
It will be necessary to make investments after 2019, and Armengol said that she hoped that the hospital would be one of the stimuli for her government having a second term of office. "This government is highly committed to the people. When the Partido Popular was in government, it abandoned public facilities, and nothing was done with Son Dureta. It will be difficult for any political party to stop a project like this. They would have to do a lot of explaining."