The Amposta Regional Hospital will eliminate the maternity service starting next June. The center's management has made this decision after noting an annual deficit close to 500,000 euros in this service that puts the institution's overall financial stability at risk.
The measure is part of an agreement reached with the Department of Health of the Generalitat de Catalunya. The objective is to concentrate public obstetric activity at the Hospital de Tortosa Verge de la Cinta, where future medical studies are also planned to be promoted.
Low demand made the recovery of the service unviable
The maternity service recovered in 2023, once the pandemic was overcome, with the expectation of reaching between 100 and 120 births per year. Reality fell short of initial forecasts, as only 35 births were registered during the entire period. Less than half of these corresponded to residents of Amposta, while the rest were attended through private mutuals.
Adam Tomàs, mayor of Amposta, admitted the need to rectify the strategy followed until now. He acknowledged that the initiative consumed disproportionate resources for the results obtained.
"Therefore, what needs to be done is to take a step back" - Adam Tomàs, mayor of Amposta
It is crucial to distinguish that the closure affects exclusively deliveries. The hospital will keep the Obstetrics service intact, given that births were not part of the healthcare agreement signed with Catsalut. Other areas such as emergencies or scheduled surgeries are covered by said agreement and will not suffer immediate modifications.
The center drags a deficit of 1.2 million euros
The economic situation of the Hospital Comarcal d'Amposta requires urgent adjustments beyond obstetrics. The annual budget is around 20 million euros, but the last fiscal year closed with losses of 1.2 million. This negative figure persists despite receiving an extraordinary injection of 800,000 euros from the regional administration.
As part of the financial restructuring plan, management has requested the works council to postpone the payment of DPOs, known as performance-based pay. This disbursement, initially scheduled for March, has been postponed until July to improve immediate cash flow.
The council maintains active negotiations with the Departament de Salut to ensure long-term economic viability. A possible solution involves transferring management to Salut Terres de l'Ebre, the public entity that already manages the Hospital Comarcal of Móra d'Ebre. Any new economic contribution depends on the final approval of the Generalitat's budgets for 2026.