On Sunday 27 September, Anna Vives, the Generalitat’s delegate to Andorra, said the Catalan government was not considering a proposal for Hospital Nostra Senyora de Meritxell to become the referral hospital for neighbouring Catalan counties. For patients in the border area, this means no new cross-border hospital referral arrangement has been agreed.
Vives’ comments were reported by La Veu Lliure, which attributed the remarks to RTVA. The Generalitat is Catalonia’s devolved government, while Meritxell is Andorra’s only hospital institution.
“I do not think anything can be ruled out,” Vives said, while adding that designating Meritxell as a referral hospital “is perhaps a somewhat ambitious step, because for the moment it is not on the table”.
Specific services could still be considered
Vives said the two administrations could examine agreements for particular specialisms available at the Andorran hospital but not provided in La Seu d’Urgell. She said any arrangement would need to be assessed to determine whether it was appropriate.
Cooperation already allows people from the border area to receive dialysis treatment at Meritxell, according to the report. No additional services have yet been agreed.
Health cooperation has continued since 2025
Andorra’s Ministry of Health and the Generalitat’s health department agreed on 13 October 2025 to explore further cross-border work on healthcare, health inspections, workforce availability and professional training. The meeting was attended by Vives, Andorran Health Minister Helena Mas and Catalan Health Minister Olga Pané.
According to the Government of Andorra’s account of that meeting, existing work also covered tissue and organ donation, corneal donation in Andorra, and the future mental-health centre in La Seu d’Urgell.
Residents seeking information about services at Hospital Nostra Senyora de Meritxell can use the contact number listed by SAAS, Andorra’s public health service: +376 871 000.
Primary sources: govern.cat, eb.gencat.cat, Generalitat de Catalunya, sac.gencat.cat. Reported by laveulliure.ad, govern.ad, saas.ad, La Veu Lliure.
