Fuengirola inaugurates a comprehensive Social Security services office: this is the innovative building

Fuengirola is launching a new Comprehensive Social Security Office (OISS) this month (initially scheduled for May 19th), which will consolidate the services of three entities of this organization: the Social Security Information and Attention Center (CAISS), part of the National Institute of Social Security (INSS); the Administration and the Executive Collection Unit of Social Security, under the General Treasury of Social Security (TGSS); and the headquarters of the Social Institute of the Navy (ISM). The office is located at 35 Miramar Avenue, corner of Doctor García Verdugo Street 5. Over 253,000 inhabitants are within the area of influence of this new OISS, which will have more than 25 workers (about 11 from INSS and around 15 from TGSS). Sources from the Ministry explain to this newspaper that this office model is not the usual norm and occurs only in special cases where Social Security considers it the best solution for service concentration under certain circumstances. In the province of Málaga, for example, there is another office of this type in Estepona. In the case of INSS, there is already a CAISS in this town, so this project provides better conditioning of the facilities so that employees can work in better conditions and citizens receive better service. The other nearest INSS centers for carrying out procedures are in Coín, 25.3 kilometers away, Marbella at 30 kilometers, and Málaga capital at 31.3 kilometers, making maintaining and improving the presence of INSS in Fuengirola "essential," according to the Ministry. TGSS, on the other hand, has nearby offices in Mijas. As for the ISM, these new facilities represent a "substantial improvement," as the local management was previously located in the TGSS offices. Now it will have new facilities and more space available to facilitate public service, with the possibility of having a medical office. With a total usable area of 2,179 square meters, it features a unique and functional facade with a green glass curtain wall with solar protection of adjustable white lacquered aluminum slats. It is a sustainable building with automated lighting featuring LED lamps and a DALI system for brightness control, and fully accessible for people with disabilities, including wide passageways, elevators, visual and tactile signage, accessible toilets, and an auditory induction loop in the information and meeting area to facilitate hearing for citizens with hearing impairments. "It is a modern, sustainable building with full accessibility," comments to this newspaper the State Secretary of Social Security and Pensions, Borja Suárez, who highlights the importance of modernizing facilities and services to improve the quality of Social Security service to the citizens of the area. "It falls within the line we have been working on in recent years to bring our institution closer to the people, who should always be the axis that determines our policies," he adds. Since 2022, the number of services provided by INSS in this province, both by phone and in-person, has increased by more than 120%, reaching close to 270,000. Málaga is the second province in Andalusia, after Cádiz, where growth has been the highest. Suárez states that, regarding TGSS, the qualitative leap in citizen service has been "spectacular." "The number of citizens attended by phone went from 36,100 in 2022 to almost 67,800 in 2024, an 88% increase, but the most significant was the growth in in-person service, which, after implementing a new service model, went from 7,100 attended to more than 83,000, eleven times more than two years ago," he details. They have also improved the timelines in which benefits are resolved. For example, the retirement pension files resolved in Málaga increased by 29% in 2024 compared to 2022, and the average resolution time was 10 days, nine days less than before and the shortest resolution time for this benefit in all of Andalusia. This improvement occurs despite the increased workload that Social Security has to manage. In 2024, INSS resolved almost 44,000 files, a 12% increase compared to 2022, with an average resolution time of 20 days, six days less than that year. "On the other hand, the notable improvement in employment results, which show month by month the dynamism of our labor market, also brings with it an increase in work in Social Security. The scope of application grows and we have to attend to many more people," he points out. In Málaga, the average number of affiliates in April is 735,097, according to figures from the Ministry known last Tuesday. In the last year, there has been an increase of 25,123 contributors. Málaga has been the fourth province with the highest increase in absolute terms after Madrid (103,765), Barcelona (58,762), and Valencia (38,265).