Amancio Ortega’s ‘super machine’ against cancer arrives in Malaga

This is a large-scale operation, with an initial budget of 12.5 million euros (VAT included), intended to build the necessary infrastructure, a bunker high security, to house what is commonly called the “supermachine‘ by Amancio Ortega: a proton accelerator 70 tons capable of destroying tumors with a millimeter precision.

The value of this equipment made a donation around the 26.3 million euros, a figure which, added to the regional investment in civil works, brings the overall cost of the project in Malaga to almost 39 million euros.

This strategic approach by the Andalusian Government will allow Malaga to give qualitative leap In oncologyintegrating into the public system a technology that, until now, in Spain was only available in two private hospitals of Madrid And Navarre.

A concrete bunker for a 70-ton giant

The technical project submitted by the Commission reveals the complexity of the engineering necessary for the installation of this equipment. This is not a simple hospital reform, but construction of a building of a new installation designed specifically to contain and operate machines of colossal dimensions and weight.

The new center will be located on Avenida del Arroyo de los Ángeles, annexed to the current building of the Maternal and Child Hospital and next to the existing Tomotherapy Center. The heart of the project is the processing bunkera structure which will be developed in three floors and will reach a maximum height above the ground of almost 12 meters.

To guarantee the absolute radiological safetythe design features high-density concrete walls up to two meters thick. This shielding is essential to contain the activity of the proton therapy equipment, a unit supplied by the company IBA which weighs 70 tonnes.

The construction challenge is such that the work planning foresees that the “super machine” will not enter through the door: it will be introduced by heavy cranes directly through the roof of the building. To do this, strategic voids will be left in the structure’s slabs, which will only be structurally sealed once the equipment is perfectly positioned inside.

Millimeter precision to protect children

The arrival of technology financed by the Amancio Ortega Foundation is particularly vital for pediatric patientsthis is why the Council decided to establish this establishment within the Maternal and Child Protection Center. Proton therapy is currently considered the more advanced way And on of radiotherapy.

Unlike conventional radiotherapy which uses photons, this technology uses a beam of protons which makes it possible to administer a dose of radiation of mannerexact at the place where the tumor is located, stopping there without crossing the body. This significantly reduced THE irradiation surrounding healthy tissues and minimizes he risk of develop a second tumor in the future, an essential element when it comes to developing organisms like those of children.

The design of the new building, according to the Council’s specifications, does not forget the humanization of assistance. Despite the robustness of the bunker, the center will have linear patios that will guarantee natural lighting and ventilation in the waiting and working areas. Differentiated spaces have been provided for staff, technical installations and ambulatory areas, seeking to create a around he less hostile possible For patients and their families.

The activation of this contract marks the start of a countdown of 24 months. This is the estimated time for the execution of the works, a time which, although extended, responds to the need to coordinate the civil engineering works with the delicate phase of installation and calibration of technological equipment.

The strategy of Juanma Moreno’s government to protect the Andalusian oncology East double and advances simultaneously in the two main capitals. As in Malaga, the Council simultaneously promoted the procedures for Sevillewhere the second equipment offered by the Foundation to the community will be installed. The future center in Seville will be located at the Doctor Muñoz Cariñanos Hospital (former military hospital) and will follow a road plan identical in terms of deadlines and execution to that of Malaga.

Until now, Andalusian families who needed this treatment had to face uprooting and expulsion to private centers in the north of Spain or abroad. With the construction of this center, Andalusian public health, thanks to the support of the regional administration and the donation from Amancio Ortega, will guarantee equity and universal access At best tool available against cancer.