Grupo HIMA bidding for Madrid hospitals management contract
Madrid’s Hospital Infanta Cristina is up for privatization.
Puerto Rican hospital conglomerate Grupo HIMA is among three companies on the short list to take over the management of three public hospitals in Madrid, according to a televised report.
The application period that began in April ended today. The other two companies on the short list are Spain’s Sanitas and Ribera Salud.
Six hospitals in total will be privatized: Infanta Sofía, Infanta Leonor, Infanta Cristina, Sureste, and Henares y Tajo. Once the private operator is selected, it will have two months to take over the management of the hospitals, Madrid hospital officials said.
“We believe that they will be taking over by September,” said Salvador Victoria, a spokesman for Comunidad de Madrid, which manages the hospital.
He added that the goal is for the hospitals to continue going forward with the same staff, that services are guaranteed and that they continue to be public and free.
In a statement issued late Friday, Grupo HIMA Chairman Joaquín Rodríguez confirmed the company presented an offer to manage the Infanta Sofía Hospital and the Infanta Cristina and Hospital del Tajo facilities.
“We have met all the requirements for this participation with the expectation that it is granted to us. We’re happy to provide the community of Madrid all our resources and health services expertise,” Rodríguez said.
The privatization of the hospitals in Madrid opens a window for HIMA Group to export its specialized health services to more than 300,000 citizens in Spain, the executive added.
