Tacoronte Health Center Expansion Stalled for Four Years, Mayor Urges Action
Tacoronte's mayor is urging the Canarian Health Service to expedite the stalled expansion of the local health center, which has been on hold since 2021 due to project and electrical infrastructure issues.
The expansion of the Tacoronte health center has been on hold for four years. The mayor, Sandra Izquierdo, is urging the Canarian Health Service's General Directorate of Economic Resources to make real progress on restarting the urgent works. She stressed the need to quickly finalise the electrical infrastructure for the new health facility, working with E-distribución, to avoid any planning issues.
Tacoronte has been waiting for its health center to be expanded and renovated since 2009. The project was initially delayed by the housing crisis and only restarted in 2017. Although the work was awarded in 2018, problems with the project and the chosen company led to a halt in the summer of 2021.
The current health center was built around 35 years ago. In 2009, plans were made for improvements and an expansion to meet the region's growing needs, but these were stalled by the housing crisis. The project was revived in 2017, with the design work put out to tender that year and the construction contract awarded in 2018. The design phase concluded on March 14, 2019. Shortly after, the expansion was contracted for 2.6 million euros, with an expected completion date in June 2021. However, in August 2021, the work was temporarily stopped to allow for project modifications and upgrades to the electrical systems.
Following recent announcements by the regional government and news that the Health Department has a plan to proceed, the local council is reminding everyone of the steps it has already taken. These include modifying urban planning, acquiring land next to the center for a future health facility, installing a new wastewater collector, and creating a new, improved parking area with better access and new green spaces.
This expansion will add 820 square meters to the facility. The planned additions include a Continuous Care Point for emergencies, a physiotherapy unit, and a community mental health unit. The Tacoronte-El Sauzal Basic Health Zone, which the center serves, has 32,128 registered health cards, with 19,368 assigned directly to this center.