The Aragonese Health Service (Salud) has received this week the works of the radiotherapy bunker of the new Obispo Polanco University Hospital in Teruel, a fundamental step for the future start-up of the Radiation Oncology Unit of the center.
The completion of this infrastructure brings closer a long-awaited objective for the province: that cancer patients in Teruel can receive the entire process of radiotherapy treatment in Teruel, avoiding trips to Zaragoza for a health service of special relevance. The action has involved an investment of 3,435,344.71 euros financed by the Government of Aragón and includes the drafting of the project, the execution of the works and the project management.
After the completion of the works, the next step is to complete the necessary procedures before the Nuclear Safety Council (CSN), the body in charge of verifying that the installation and equipment meet all the requirements of safety and radiological protection for patients and professionals. The Council has already reviewed the technical documentation of the project and will continue with the necessary checks before authorizing the commissioning of the facility.
In the coming months, the linear accelerator of the firm Elekta will be installed, the same technology used in the rest of the radiotherapy centers in Aragon. This technological homogeneity facilitates both the maintenance of the equipment and the coordination of care between centers and the continuity of treatments when necessary.
IT COULD BECOME OPERATIONAL IN EARLY 2027
After the necessary adjustments and tests for the installation of this highly complex technology, the first patients will be treated. The equipment is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2027.
The director of Hospital Health Care, Sara Guillén, has pointed out that the incorporation of this technology to the new Teruel Hospital responds to the commitment of the Government of Aragon to offer the people of Teruel the same opportunities for access to the most advanced treatments as in the other two Aragonese provinces.
«Equity is one of the fundamental principles of our health system and projects like this contribute to making it a reality. When we talk about cancer, bringing specialised care closer to patients is not only an organisational issue, but also a matter of quality of care and humanisation», he said.
The head of the Multihospital Clinical Unit of Radiation Oncology of Aragon (UCMORA), Dr. Reyes Ibáñez, stressed that the start-up of the Teruel Radiotherapy Unit «represents a decisive step in the consolidation of a networked Radiation Oncology model for all of Aragon, based on equity, quality and proximity to the patient».
AN AREA DESIGNED FOR COMPREHENSIVE PATIENT CARE
The Radiation Oncology Unit is located on the basement floor -1 of the S2 building of the new hospital. The main connection with this space will be made from inside the hospital, although it will also have an independent pedestrian access from the outside.
Next to the linear accelerator, the planning CT will be installed, an essential technology for radiotherapy treatments. This equipment allows precise images of the patient to be obtained and each treatment to be individually designed, ensuring that the radiation is administered with maximum precision to the tumour while preserving healthy tissues.
The spaces included in this action have a constructed area of 233.45 square metres for the radiotherapy area in the basement, 88.9 m² for the area for the planning CT and 270 m² on the ground floor for the new 061 base, which will have independent access.
The commissioning of this unit is a milestone for Teruel’s health system by allowing the province to have the necessary resources to offer radiotherapy treatments in its own territory for the first time. In this way, patients will be able to carry out the entire Radiation Oncology care circuit in Teruel, from treatment planning to administration, improving accessibility to this service and avoiding continuous travel outside the province.
