The new health center in Mijas will serve Fuengirola and will replace the CARE and the Las Lagunas health center.

The "revolution" in healthcare in Mijas, announced by the head of Health of the Junta de Andalucía, Antonio Sanz, during the presentation of the new High Resolution Process Center (CARP) that will be built in Las Lagunas, will also extend to the healthcare in Fuengirola. This is stated in the project report drafted by the Ministry of Health, Presidency, and Emergencies regarding this center, which will be constructed by the Mijas Town Council, and will provide "24-hour coverage / 365 days a year" not only to this locality but also to the population of Fuengirola, which currently has no other public health facilities than three health centers.

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The CARP of Las Lagunas, which will be located next to the Miramar shopping park, very close to the municipal boundary of Fuengirola, will replace the High Resolution Specialty Center (CARE) of Mijas, which currently also serves the people of Fuengirola, and depends on the reference hospital center for both localities: the Costa del Sol University Hospital (HUCS), in Marbella.

The Las Lagunas center has authorized the hiring of an occupational therapist and a speech therapist, and has not incorporated these professionals due to lack of space

The new CARP will also house the Las Lagunas health center and the Primary Care Emergency Service (SUAP), the only healthcare facilities currently available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to the more than 180,000 residents of Fuengirola and Mijas; the Mental Health Unit, located in the market of the Fuengirola Town Hall in El Boquetillo; and the headquarters of 061-Mijas, currently located in the parking lot of the Aquamijas water park.

Deficiencies and limitations

The Health Ministry's project clarifies that the CARP will operate with the same staff that currently staff these centers. "As it is a transfer of existing infrastructures to a new location, it does not entail an increase in Chapter 1," the Ministry assures in the report. However, it is noted that "the possibility of expanding the service portfolio" will be assessed in the case of the Las Lagunas health center, revealing that "currently" the hiring of an occupational therapist and a speech therapist is authorized, which has not been possible "due to lack of space."

In the document, the Ministry acknowledges that the current CARE of Mijas has "structural and capacity deficiencies that limit the proper provision of health services." "Among the main health problems arising from these limitations," it cites the "saturation" of spaces, which has led the center to "operate above its capacity" and causes "high waiting times and difficulties in scheduling appointments"; the existence of an "obsolete" infrastructure; the impossibility of incorporating new specialties and services due to "lack of adequate spaces"; and "deficiencies in care coordination."

The Ministry acknowledges that the CARE operates "above its capacity," has "high waiting times," and an "obsolete" infrastructure

The Ministry ensures that the new center will address these "problems" through the "expansion of care spaces," the "reduction of waiting times," a "greater integration of services," improved sustainability and accessibility, and an "adequate infrastructure" for the emergency service (SUAP) of the Las Lagunas health center.

The CARP project has already been initiated with the tender by the Mijas Town Council, for 625,000 euros, for the drafting of the preliminary project and the basic and execution projects, which must be ready within a period of five months from their award.