Health Minister Ángel Sanz held a working meeting on Wednesday with Cristina Sarasa, director general of Care and Humanization, and part of her team to assess the contributions received since the process began on September 3. The meeting also addressed the next steps before a decision is made on the final site.
Public participation was launched during the plenary session of the Aragon Health Council and allows suggestions to be collected from organizations, professionals and citizens. Last week, the Department of Health also provided the council’s members with additional information to expand the data available on each of the alternatives currently under consideration.
FOUR SITES REMAIN UNDER CONSIDERATION
One possibility is to locate the new hospital opposite the General Military Academy, next to the Huesca road and near the current Royo Villanova. Among other issues, the site’s transport connections, the characteristics and ownership of the land, its urban planning configuration and the need to relocate a high-voltage power line are being assessed.
The second alternative is in San Gregorio, also close to the current hospital and connected to the N-330. In this case, technical analyses are examining issues such as accessibility, mobility, existing infrastructure and the availability of land for developing the future healthcare complex.
The third option is Ronda de Boltaña, in the Parque Goya area between Avenida de Ranillas and Avenida de las Majas de Goya. Its location places it near the School of Engineering and Architecture of the University of Zaragoza, the Aragon Institute of Technology and DAT Alierta. Key issues to be assessed include access from the A-2 and N-330 and connections by urban bus and tram.
The alternatives are completed by the Cogullada road, in the area between Mercazaragoza and the Gállego River. The assessment in this area is focused particularly on road and bus connections, the proximity of industrial areas, the available surface area and land ownership.
A LARGER HOSPITAL DESIGNED FOR THE COMING DECADES
Choosing the site will be one of the first major steps in developing a project set to transform healthcare in Zaragoza’s left-bank district. As Aragón Digital previously reported, the expectation is that the new Royo Villanova could be completed before 2030 and have twice the floor area of the current facility.
The Aragon Government’s aim is to build a hospital with more space, greater functionality and new technology, designed from the outset to meet healthcare needs in the coming decades while also strengthening its teaching and research role. The Department of Health maintains that the participation of professionals, patients and citizens should form part of this initial phase before deciding which of the four sites will ultimately host the future hospital.
