Andorra Approves €33,500 Contract for MRI Suite at Meritxell Hospital

The Andorran Council of Ministers has approved a €33,500 contract for architect Jorge Vitullo to develop the technical project and direct construction work adapting space at Hospital Nostra Senyora de Meritxell for a new advanced nuclear magnetic resonance imaging scanner.

This approval, announced by Economy and Housing Minister Conxita Marsol during a Thursday press conference following the ministers' meeting, marks the preparatory step before tendering and carrying out the required modifications. The equipment will allow high-precision diagnostic tests within the public health system, reducing external referrals, waiting times, duplicate examinations, and patient travel.

The decision builds on a €2.4 million special credit approved by the General Council last May to fund both the site adaptations and scanner installation, as part of wider hospital modernisation efforts.

In the same meeting, ministers addressed seasonal labour needs by expanding the summer immigration quota for hospitality and restaurant businesses by 250 permits, bringing the total to around 900 after the initial 650 slots sold out rapidly. Marsol noted the move responds to justified staffing shortages reported by businesses, prioritising tourism operations amid low unemployment and economic growth. A cap of 10 permits per company will promote fairer distribution, with the updated regulations set for publication in an extraordinary Bulletin Oficial del Principat d'Andorra tomorrow to enable prompt hiring. Temporary permits expire in November, separate from permanent residency quotas aimed at managing population growth.

Construction and other sectors have raised concerns over depleted quotas but were deprioritised in favour of peak-season tourism demands. Marsol indicated no further measures yet, with autumn allocations adjusted accordingly. Work continues on new rules under the second omnibus law to require businesses seeking large staff increases—such as housing plans for workers—to submit additional studies before project approval.