EU funding lost as Lo Pagán health centre faces further delays

Construction began in 2023 and was due to be completed within 16 months, but legal action and payment disputes have left the project stalled for months

Residents in Lo Pagán will have to wait even longer for their new health centre, as ongoing delays have meant European funding originally allocated to the project can no longer be used.

Construction of the new facility began in March 2023 and was expected to be completed within 16 months. Nearly two years later, local people are still relying on ageing facilities while the project remains unfinished.

The original contract was worth just over €3.2 million. While the Regional Health Department has not revealed how much European funding was affected, officials say the money has not been lost and will instead be used for other infrastructure projects.

It is also still unclear when the new health centre will finally open its doors. The Regional Health Department says it is working to restart the project as soon as possible.

Work has been at a standstill for several months despite claims from construction company Servimar that the project is already 98% complete. The company was responsible for building the new health centre and demolishing the old one once the move was completed.

Contract Cancelled

Before work can resume, the Regional Health Department has decided to terminate its contract with Servimar, citing a failure to meet the terms of the agreement.

Officials say the decision was taken in the public interest and has the backing of both the Autonomous Community's Legal Services and the Legal Council of the Region of Murcia.

Servimar strongly disputes the decision and has launched legal action against senior officials and technical staff within the Health Department.

The company claims the regional government owes it €700,000 for work already carried out but not formally certified for payment. According to Servimar, the last payment it received was in December 2024, despite the project being almost finished, with only a small number of final details still outstanding.

Dispute Heads to Court

In court documents filed in Murcia, Servimar argues that there are no reports identifying defects or irregularities in the work completed so far.

The company says unpaid invoices have prevented it from finishing the remaining work and carrying out the second phase of the project, which involves demolishing the existing health centre building.

That demolition cannot take place until healthcare staff move into the new premises and services begin operating there.

Servimar has also complained about delays in decision-making, conflicting instructions during the construction process and what it describes as insufficient budget allocations. The company is also challenging penalties imposed by the regional government, which had reached more than €166,000 by March 2025.

As the legal dispute continues, residents are facing another summer using the ageing Casa del Mar building, a former restaurant beside Lo Pagán's fishing harbour that currently serves as the town's health centre.

Read also: Murcia's Mediterranean waters hit 27°c as scientists warn of another scorching summer at sea

Image 1: Archive

Image 2: San Pedro del Pinatar Town Hall