VI Edition of the Scientific Health Research Award by the HNA Foundation
3 March, 2026
María Sancho, research associate at the IIS Aragón, recognized as a key figure in the Zaragoza City Council's 8M campaign
6 March, 2026
The Miguel Servet Hospital begins two strategic actions that modernize hospital outpatient care and pediatric critical care
The Miguel Servet University Maternal and Child Hospital (HMI) begins this first week of March the renovation and expansion works in the pediatric area of the Maternal and Child block, an action that includes the new Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and the expansion of the Neuropediatrics and Metabolism consultations.
The project, financed by the Government of Aragon with an investment of 2.214.664,71 euros for the new PICU and 112.770,38 euros for the Neuropediatrics consultations —the latter charged to Next Generation funds—, represents a structural advance in two key areas of pediatric care: critical care and specialized outpatient care.
New Pediatric ICU: more safety, efficiency and humanization
The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Miguel Servet University Hospital is the only referral center in Aragon for the care of critically ill pediatric patients and also treats children referred from La Rioja and Soria. It is a Level III unit, the highest level of care complexity in this field.
In 2024, the unit recorded a total of 450 admissions. The average stay was 3,5 days, with occupancy peaks of up to 80% in winter (50% in summer). This unit treats patients from newborns a few months old to adolescents up to 15 years of age, and in some cases, up to 18 years of age. The children treated in this area suffer from highly complex conditions across various specialties, such as pediatric oncology and cardiology, among others, or present with complex post-operative cardiac procedures, neurosurgery, highly specialized general surgery, or acute pediatric dialysis.
The reform includes relocating the unit within the Maternity and Children's Block—currently located in the General Hospital—which will reduce emergency response times, improve coordination between services, and optimize care pathways in critical situations. In the words of Juan Pablo García Íñiguez, head of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, “the new unit will allow us to work more safely and improve response times in moments when every minute counts.”
Internal reorganization of the Hospital
To make this possible, the prior reorganization of several units was necessary. Pediatrics A (the area that housed infants) and Pediatrics B have been combined on the 4th floor of the HMI. The Pediatric Surgery Unit has been moved to the former infant ward on the 3rd floor, following prior renovations with an additional investment of €79.685,99.
The new PICU, with a floor area of 709 m2, will represent a significant leap forward in three key areas: safety, efficiency, and patient-centered care. From a clinical perspective, it will feature 10 individual patient rooms, two of which will have reverse isolation, doubling the current isolation capacity and improving upon the existing situation, which only has a shared common area. All rooms will be equipped with advanced technology, such as double-arm suspended columns for medical gases and medication pumps, an integrated video surveillance system without recording, and an emergency call system with coded signals, facilitating immediate action in life-threatening situations. Furthermore, the reorganization of the space will allow certain procedures to be performed without having to move the patient out of the unit, as is the case with severe burns. “Being able to perform complex procedures without removing the child from the unit improves their safety and reduces unnecessary risks,” emphasizes García Íñiguez.
One of the project's main focuses is humanization. The unit has been designed with not only the patient in mind, but also their family and the healthcare professionals. Each patient room will include a family area to encourage parents' continued presence, all will have natural light—a significant improvement over the current situation—and children's decor will be incorporated from the construction phase to create a more welcoming environment. “In a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, supporting the family is also part of the treatment. The parents' continued presence has a real impact on the child's well-being and recovery,” emphasizes the head of the department.
In addition, the new PICU will have a separate office for providing information to families, guaranteeing privacy and confidentiality during the most sensitive times. Furthermore, dedicated work and rest areas will be provided for staff, based on the principle that caring for the caregiver directly impacts the child's recovery.
This approach is supported by Plataforma Europa–Inditex and Fundación Sesé, through the eighth edition of their annual gala promoting the humanization of spaces, as well as ASPANOA, which contributes to providing portable monitoring systems. These devices will allow for something as important as a baby being held during hospitalization or for transfers to diagnostic tests to be carried out more comfortably and safely.
Sesé Foundation Gala with a tribute to Queen
Tomorrow, Monday, March 2nd, the eighth annual Sesé Foundation gala will take place. The event will be held at 8:00 PM in the Mozart Hall in Zaragoza and will feature a performance by God Save The Queen, the Argentinian tribute band considered by Rolling Stone to be the best Queen tribute act in the world. This concert, part of their international tour, commemorates the 40th anniversary of Queen's last show with Freddie Mercury and will help equip the new unit at the Children's Hospital.
Expansion of Neuropediatrics and Metabolism consultations
Alongside the PICU expansion, the remodeling and expansion of the Neuropediatrics and Metabolism outpatient clinic area is underway, strengthening outpatient hospital care. The current space, which has two consultation rooms and an anteroom for a nursing assistant, will be expanded to include four larger consultation rooms and two appointment scheduling stations, reaching a total area of 117 m², more than double the current size.
This expansion will allow for increased care capacity, improved scheduling, and greater comfort and privacy for patients and families, especially in childhood neurological and metabolic pathologies that require continuous monitoring and high specialization.
The reform will also represent a decisive advance in accessibility, as the consultations are moved to the ground floor of the building —after the relocation of administrative services—, facilitating direct entry from the street and the circulation of patients with reduced mobility or wheelchairs, a need of a large part of the more than 6.000 children that the unit attends, eliminating architectural barriers and simplifying routes.
Also, during this reform, a computerized and anonymized appointment management system will be implemented for all pediatric outpatient consultations —medical, surgical and functional testing— using digital screens and a coded call system, which will offer: greater confidentiality and better organization of flows.
A project with a comprehensive vision
The start of these two interventions —the new Pediatric ICU and the expansion of the Neuropediatrics and Metabolism consultations— represents one of the most significant milestones of the Transformation Plan of the Miguel Servet University Hospital, a strategic program that integrates multiple actions aimed at modernizing health infrastructures, improving the quality of care, reinforcing the safety of patients and professionals and promoting the humanization of health spaces at the service of the people of Aragon.
