Alternative use for Alicante’s ‘redundant’ field hospital on Spain’s Costa Blanca

Alicante’s field hospital, currently redundant as the extra beds are not needed for Covid-19 patients at the moment, will be used to carry out tests on health personnel, confirmed Regional Health Minister Ana Barceló.

THE emergency facility, next to Alicante General Hospital, was completed slightly behind schedule due to bad weather and supply delays, but has now been placed under the management of the hospital itself.

However, as Barceló’s daily Covid-19 points out in her daily Covid-19 updates, the number of hospital admissions is dropping, and therefore, for the time being at least, extra beds for coronavirus patients are not needed across the province.

To speed up testing of medical staff and make use of the facility, the Health Minister insisted it be used to carry out diagnostic tests on health professionals, as is already the case at the field hospitals in Valencia and Castellon.

Barceló also confirmed the facility will remain operational until at least the end of the year “to provide a service in the event of new outbreaks of infection during de-escalation or during the winter months.”