The Mayor of Tortosa, Mar Lleixà, has announced that negotiations are underway with the Government of Catalonia for the potential integration of two municipally managed healthcare centers: the Terres de l'Ebre Clinic and the Hospital of the Holy Cross of Jesus of Jesus. The primary objective of this operation is to guarantee the "economic sustainability" of these facilities, which have recorded "significant financial losses" in recent years.

According to Lleixà, this integration would follow the model already implemented at the Móra d'Ebre Regional Hospital. The mayor emphasized that the discussions aim to define a collaboration protocol with CatSalut to ensure the "quality and economic viability" of the centers, as well as to strengthen the "management model" and "healthcare coordination" in Terres de l'Ebre, with the Virge de la Cinta University Hospital as the main reference. Furthermore, it is anticipated that this measure will help to "consolidate services, attract and retain professionals," and provide "greater security" to staff and users.

The agreement, welcomed by the mayor, includes an extraordinary fund with additional resources for the two municipal centers, which will enable the Government to approve the budget. This decision stems from the need to find "structural solutions" to guarantee a public healthcare system that is "strong, high-quality, and rooted in the territory."

For their part, the spokesperson for Junts per Tortosa, Meritxell Roigé, has expressed concern about the potential consequences of the operation for the professionals and users, warning of a municipal "loss of control" over the management of the centers. Roigé attributed the decision to the "incapacity of the tripartite government of Tortosa to adequately manage the municipal healthcare centers" and has described the integration as "bad news" for the City Council and the city.