From typicallyspanish.com
Shortage of hospital beds in Alicante province
By h.b.
Apr 10, 2008 - 8:35 AM
The province of Alicante needs another 1,500 hospital beds, that’s 32% more, to meet current levels of demand and to bring the numbers up to the national average in terms of population. It’s the reason why many hospitals in the centre are often overrun.
In Alicante there is one bed per 373 people compared to the national average of one bed per 283. Add to that the extra numbers of holidaymakers and foreign residents who are not on the official census lists and the local shortage of facilities is guaranteed.
The numbers come from the new Catalogue of Hospitals 2008, which has just been published by the Ministry for Health.
What’s more, 19% of the hospital beds in the province of Alicante are private, taking the number of public beds to just one for every 459 people.
Three new hospitals are planned in the future – in Dénia, Elche and the Marina Baixa though there are no firm dates for the start of construction.