The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, is scheduled to visit the city of Melilla next Monday to officially inaugurate the new university hospital. This marks his first visit to the city since the reopening of commercial customs with Morocco several months ago, as was the case in Ceuta. Local media, citing government sources, reported that Sanchez will participate in the inauguration ceremony of the hospital, which began offering partial services this week by providing its first outpatient consultations. This comes 19 years after the project was initially announced during a visit by former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. Sanchez's visit follows his trip on March 23, 2022, to both Ceuta and Melilla, after Spain announced a new phase in relations with Morocco, following the government's shift in its official stance on the Western Sahara issue. In contrast, the opposition Popular Party has dismissed the hospital's opening as «a mere spectacle and political propaganda». Melilla senator Isabel Moreno stated that the hospital's critical sections—including inpatient beds, the intensive care unit, and the emergency service—are still not operational, adding that the sole purpose of the event is «to take a picture and cut the ribbon».
