The long-awaited expansion of the South Tenerife Hospital has suffered another setback, with the contract to draw up the technical plans for the project still awaiting approval despite expectations that a decision would have been made several weeks ago.

The delay has sparked fresh concern among members of the Pro Public Hospital Platform for the South, who say the process should have been completed around a month ago and fear further hold-ups could push the overall project back even further.

Tender Process Still Unresolved

The latest delay emerged this week after the tender evaluation committee reviewed the bids submitted by competing companies.

During the assessment, discrepancies were identified in the technical scoring of some proposals, prompting officials to request additional documentation from several bidders before proceeding.

According to information provided to campaigners, the Government of the Canary Islands now expects to announce the preferred bidder at the beginning of next week.

"We are still waiting for the white smoke," representatives of the platform said, expressing frustration as deadlines continue to slip.

A Hospital Decades in the Making

South Tenerife Hospital, located in the municipality of Arona, first opened in 2015 after decades of delays.

However, the facility opened with fewer services than originally planned despite serving one of the fastest-growing areas of the Canary Islands.

Today, the hospital provides healthcare for a population of more than 300,000 people when both residents and the island's large floating tourist population are taken into account. That figure rises significantly during peak tourism periods.

What Is Being Tendered?

Importantly, the current tender does not relate to the construction work itself.

Instead, the contract concerns the appointment of the technical team responsible for designing the expansion and refurbishment project. The Canary Islands Government launched the tender earlier this year with a budget exceeding €1 million.

The winning company will be tasked with producing the detailed plans that will define the scope of the first phase of the expansion, including building works, healthcare facilities and operational requirements.

Major New Facilities Planned

According to the functional plan prepared by the Servicio Canario de Salud, the project will complete two unfinished hospital modules and refurbish a third.

The proposed expansion includes:

• New Emergency Department facilities
• Expanded Diagnostic Imaging services
• New laboratory facilities
• A blood bank
• Additional outpatient consultation rooms
• Rehabilitation services
• Increased hospital ward capacity
• Haemodynamics facilities
• Intensive Care Units (ICU)
• Expansion of the surgical block

The improvements are designed to address growing healthcare demand in southern Tenerife and bring the hospital closer to the level of service originally envisaged.

Campaigners Urge Faster Timetable

The Pro Public Hospital Platform estimates that once the contract is finally awarded, the successful company will have ten months to complete the project design.

However, campaigners argue that modern technology should allow the work to be completed much sooner.

"The only solution is for the winning bidder to deliver the project within six to eight months," platform representatives said, warning that any further delays at this stage could have knock-on effects for the entire expansion programme.

For residents in the south of Tenerife, where calls for a fully equipped public hospital have been made for decades, the latest delay is likely to add to growing frustration over a project many believe is long overdue.