Virgen del Rocío University Hospital in Andalusia celebrates 69 years since its opening on January 22. The hospital, originally known as the Garcia Morato Health Residence, was just a single building dedicated to surgical procedures at the time of its inauguration. The construction was met with some criticism for being considered luxurious and disproportionate, but it was hailed by the general director of Social Security, Fernando Coca de la Piñera, for its advancement in Spanish Medicine.
Initially, the hospital provided surgical care and a specific floor for caring for female patients during childbirth, contrary to the traditional practice of giving birth at home. Nurses and nuns from the order of Saint Anne provided care for the patients until the 1980s. The hospital also housed resident doctors who were responsible for attending to emergencies at all hours.
Nowadays, the hospital has evolved into the largest clinical complex in Spain, incorporating the latest health advances and expanding its specialties to include areas such as Traumatology and the Maternal and Child Hospital. The Maternal and Child Hospital, which originally focused on acute ailments, now provides care and support for patients with chronic and complex diseases.
With over 1,500 beds and nearly 10,000 healthcare professionals, the hospital attends to more than 48,000 admissions, 41,000 surgeries, and 1,200,000 outpatient consultations. It also performs more than 268,000 emergencies, 450 transplants, and 4,800 births. The hospital remains dedicated to providing the highest quality of healthcare to the people of Seville.