The surface parking at the Málaga hospital complex started operating this Tuesday at 6:00 AM. Healthcare workers pay €0.61 per hour, while others pay €1.36, rates that unions consider abusive.
The provisional parking at Hospital Civil de Málaga opened its doors at 6:00 AM this Tuesday, as confirmed by the Ministry of Presidency, Health and Emergencies. The infrastructure, completed almost four months ago, begins without an official explanation for the delay, which sources close to the case attribute to administrative entanglements.
On the first day, attendance was modest: by 1:30 PM, there were 70 cars parked, a figure that has remained consistent. The actual turnover will be tested in September, when hospital activity returns to normal after the summer.
The debate now focuses on the rates. Citizens pay €1.36 per hour, while professionals of the Andalusian Health Service (SAS) pay €0.61. Of the 750 total spaces, 163 are reserved for healthcare staff, who will occupy them on a strict first-come, first-served basis, with no prior reservation allowed. The 587 remaining spaces are for general use and do not have discounts.
The parking will remain open 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and its operation is managed by the Temporary Business Union (UTE) formed by Sando, OHLA, and Vialterra Infraestructuras, the same companies constructing the future Hospital Virgen de la Esperanza and who will also manage its parking.
The unions, which had demanded immediate operation, have criticized the rates. Some leaders describe them as "abusive" and criticize that the announcement of the opening was made with "sneakiness and malice".
This surface facility is the zero phase of the construction of the new hospital. It will operate, at a minimum, until April 2027, while the Blas de Lezo parking is built, which will be phase two and will have 839 spaces across seven above-ground levels and three below ground.
Phase three will be the hospital itself, an eleven-story above ground and four below ground building, with parking on levels minus two and minus three that will total 928 spaces for cars and 128 for motorcycles. In total, the health city will have nearly 2,000 parking spaces.
The concession for the operation of the parking has been awarded to the UTE for 23 years. Both in the future Blas de Lezo parking and in the hospital complex, there will be reserved spaces for healthcare staff and local residents.
The new center, whose foundation stone was laid on February 2 of this year, will have 815 rooms, 48 operating rooms, 80 ICU beds, and 158 spaces for medical specialties, as well as areas for teaching and research. The arrival of the metro to the Civil is expected in 2031, which will partly alleviate mobility issues in the Arroyo de los Ángeles area.
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