Marina Baixa Hospital is getting a €102 million overhaul, and the scale of the changes is significant

Nearly €30 million will be spent on the project in 2026 alone, with more operating theatres, more ICU beds and a much bigger emergency department on the way

For anyone who uses the Marina Baixa University Hospital in Villajoyosa, the news that it's about to undergo one of the biggest transformations in its history is worth paying attention to. The Valencian regional government has confirmed it will allocate €29.4 million to the project during 2026, part of a total investment that exceeds €102 million once the full expansion is complete.

Juanfran Pérez Llorca, president of the Generalitat, described it as "a strategic project for the region," adding that "the new hospital will represent a qualitative leap forward in both healthcare capacity and the modernisation of facilities, and will contribute to providing more efficient, safer care, better adapted to the current and future needs of the population."

The numbers behind the expansion give a sense of just how substantial the changes will be. The hospital will gain 113 new inpatient beds, a new 14-bed Intensive Care Unit (two more than the current one), and brand new CT and MRI scanners. The surgical block will grow from eight to thirteen operating theatres, with the Outpatient Surgery Unit separated from conventional surgery to improve patient flow. The Outpatient Surgery Unit itself will expand from eight to 20 beds.

The emergency department is also getting a significant overhaul. A new Short Stay Unit will add 12 beds, the observation ward will grow from 20 to 27 beds, and treatment bays will increase from 14 to 33. For patients arriving in a critical condition, the resuscitation room will expand from three to eight beds, and the Post-Anaesthesia Care Unit from 11 to 16 beds.

Pérez Llorca placed the investment in a wider context, noting that the 2026 regional health budget reaches €9.453 billion, described as the largest healthcare investment in the history of the Valencian Community. The Marina Baixa project, he said, reflects "the commitment of the Generalitat for the modernisation of health infrastructure across the region."

For the communities of the Marina Baixa comarca, including Benidorm, Altea, Calpe and the surrounding area, a hospital significantly better equipped to handle growing demand is a development that will matter to a great many people.

Image: marinabaixa.san.gva.es