Manilva is once again «presenting» a care home for the elderly almost three years after announcing it as a project under way. The contrast between the news published by Manilva Town Hall on 29 March 2023 and the news released yesterday shows a standstill that is hard to justify for an infrastructure the municipality needs so much.
In 2023, the Town Hall announced the presentation of the project for the «Maicandil» Care Home for the Elderly, with 172 places, a self-sufficient building, a full range of services (physiotherapy, swimming pool, rehabilitation, laundry, dining room) and an operating model based on a tender, guaranteeing discounts for residents on the municipal register (padrón). It was even reported that the tender would be issued from April, following its approval at a council meeting. The event, which featured scale models, municipal representatives and the media, was attended by the then mayor, Mario Jiménez, the councillors for Urban Planning and Social Welfare, and municipal technical staff.
Yesterday, almost three years later, the Town Hall again announced a meeting to «discuss the construction proposal» for a geriatric care home. The language is highly significant: it no longer speaks of a project under way, but of a possibility. In addition, the estimated investment amounts to 7 million euros, the number of places rises to 180 beds, and the emphasis is placed on the impact on employment (more than 100 jobs, with percentages of local hiring and purchases from suppliers in the municipality).
The comparison leaves questions unanswered: what happened to the tender announced in 2023? Why, after a project with defined timescales and model was presented, are we back at the starting point with a new «proposal» and new figures? What has changed to justify another announcement without a clear timetable or administrative commitments?
Meanwhile, Manilva still has no public or publicly funded care home, and many families are forced to look for places outside the municipality, with the resulting financial and emotional cost. The problem is not that projects are updated, which is logical, but that announcements are repeated without being carried out, replacing action with meetings and headlines.
Three years on, the care home for the elderly still has no dates, no tender and no works. What in 2023 was presented as a «historic day» is once again a promise.
Publication by Manilva Town Hall in 2023
