Trade unions put the number of health centres closing in the afternoons this summer in Malaga province at 43

Healthcare

Some 31 centres will be open in the afternoons, while the health department monitors and reviews healthcare activity across the Andalusian health service on a fortnightly basis

José Antonio Sau

Healthcare trade unions consulted by SUR estimate that the regional ministry of health will close a total of 43 health centres in the province of ... Malaga in the afternoons during the summer months, compared with the 31 that will remain open, according to data provided by the Satse nursing union and the UGT.

The period during which this measure - now standard practice throughout Andalucía during the summer - is in force begins this Monday 29 June and will continue until 13 September. On Monday 14 September, health centres will return to their usual opening hours, explained Satse.

In the Malaga city district, seven health centres will remain open, compared with the 20 that will be closed in the afternoons this summer. In the Guadalhorce area, all nine health centres will close; on the Costa del Sol, five will remain closed and nine will remain open; in the Serranía de Ronda, two health centres will be closed in the afternoons; and in Malaga North (the Antequera area), one will not open in the afternoons and six will remain open. In the Axarquía region, six centres will be closed and nine will operate during the specified hours.

Those with a primary care emergency service (SUAP) remain open during summer afternoons, alongside others.

In the Malaga district, La Roca, Churriana, Puerta Blanca, Cruz de Humilladero, El Palo, Colonia Santa Inés-Teatinos and Rincón de la Victoria are open in the afternoon

In the Malaga district, the health centres in La Roca, Churriana, Puerta Blanca, Cruz de Humilladero, El Palo, Colonia Santa Inés-Teatinos and Rincón de la Victoria (which is also considered part of the Malaga district) will remain open in the afternoons.

In the Axarquía, meanwhile, health centres are open in Algarrobo, Benamargosa, Nerja, Torrox, Vélez-Sur and Viñuela, as well as clinics in Cómpeta, El Morche and Benamocarra.

In the Costa del Sol district, the following centres will be open in the afternoons: Estepona, the San Luis de Sabinillas surgery, Las Lagunas, Las Albarizas, Leganitos, San Pedro Alcántara, Marbella, Arroyo de la Miel, Carihuela and San Miguel.

The following outpatient clinics and surgeries will be operating in the Northern region: Antequera, Antequera Estación, Archidona, Campillos, Mollina and Villanueva del Trabuco.

The regional government has not provided any figures regarding the centres closed during the summer in the province; the figures given here are based on information provided to SUR by both Satse and UGT. The figures are similar to those for 2025, when 44 outpatient clinics were closed.

Costa del Sol

Summer is a particularly sensitive time on the Costa del Sol, given the arrival of hundreds of thousands of tourists, which causes the registered population to double or even triple in some coastal municipalities, which, naturally, also require healthcare provision.

The regional ministry of health, for its part, told SUR that the summer plan includes “a monitoring system based on activity and occupancy indicators, as well as a coordination committee at the SAS central services, which will carry out fortnightly monitoring of the healthcare situation throughout the summer period”. The aim is to ensure that the necessary measures are taken in the event of any fluctuations in demand.

In the statement, the department of health stated that the main aim of reorganising the work of primary care centres during the summer period is to ensure that the public receives healthcare "of the highest standard of quality and efficiency". To this end, it claimed “healthcare resources must be adapted to the demand generated by population movements taking place in Andalucía between 29 June and 4 October”, as well as optimising the organisation of care to allow staff to take their statutory leave and for previously planned building works and refurbishments to be carried out.

The regional government is thus adapting to the demand generated by population movements taking place in Andalucía between 29 June and 4 October

The provincial secretary of Satse, Eugenio Pérez, said: “In Malaga, the population is growing rapidly due to tourism, and there are also specific circumstances such as a shortage of nursing staff; it is difficult to organise things any other way.” Furthermore, he added that staff need to be covered during holidays.

Shortage of nurses

"Ideally, they would not close, although it is also true that fewer appointments are needed during the summer. Workers are entitled to their rest," he said. However, Pérez also pointed out that Andalucía faces a chronic shortage of nurses.

"There is a shortage of healthcare professionals, both doctors and nurses. This year, for the first time in 30 years, the intake has been repeated, and this week they were due to hire a large proportion of the newly qualified graduates."

In 2026, there are 50 graduates in Ronda and 180 at the faculty of health sciences in Malaga.

"They are very much needed. The figures more or less match the number of annual retirements in the province," he explained.

“Thirty years ago, there were many young people who are now of retirement age; the SAS must be able to retain this talent so that they do not leave for other regions, and offer high-quality six-month contracts to build their loyalty,” Pérez said.

"We are calling for holiday cover to be provided so that health centres can remain open for their full opening hours during the summer as well"

Alba Pérez, UGT’s secretary for health and care in Malaga, said: “In the end, it’s always the same: we’re asking for holiday cover so that health centres can remain open for their full opening hours during the summer as well.” In her view, it is not a question of healthcare workers who go on holiday being replaced by those who stay behind, but rather that “more staff need to be recruited to cover the holidays of the rest”. In her opinion, there should not be fewer staff in the morning simply to cover the afternoon.

The regional government therefore plans to offer 7,235 contracts in the province this summer, 24.5 per cent more than last year. This also means allocating 31.1 million euros to boost staffing levels and ensure coverage in primary and hospital care during this period, an increase of 34 per cent.