On October 12th, it loses its historic sign and demolition progresses inside the tower.

The dismantling of the former 12 de Octubre Hospital is progressing in stages. Demolition work has so far focused on the building's interior, with the removal of windows, wiring, doors, and other structures. The sign that crowned the tower has also been removed, effectively eliminating a visual landmark for the surrounding Usera district. Once this stage of the project is complete, it will be time to work on the architectural elements and the façade, until the building disappears, element by element, from the city's landscape.

"The work is ongoing. The interior demolition is still ongoing," the hospital clarified. The demolition process began at the beginning of the year, after completing the move to the new hospital building and transporting all the equipment. Over the last five months, workers have dismantled the windows on the first floors, roofs, ceilings, and other surfaces. The electrical systems will gradually be removed. All of this is part of the initial phase, prior to the demolition of the structural elements.

Once the work is well underway, work will continue on the foundation, where the demolition method "by undercutting" or "by overturning" is "totally prohibited." This process consists of weakening the structural members that provide support at their lowest point, causing them to collapse under their own weight. This technique is ruled out because "it does not offer the desired safety or allow adequate control of its consequences," as explained in the project description. This is due to the building's proximity to other services, such as the Emergency Department or the consultation block, where patient care is provided. Therefore, this option was ruled out, as was the use of explosives.

The process is expected to take 12 months to complete, covering the 15 floors of the 50-year-old hospital. All of this will be done using a combination of manual demolition techniques and robotic assistance. Thus, brick by brick, the tower will gradually disappear, as has the sign crowning the building bearing the name of the healthcare complex. The design of the decommissioning plan generally follows the reverse order used for its construction.

By the end of the year, the site will be almost empty, with the removal of the last structures and debris. Of the original site, only the auditorium, renovated in recent years, and the underground facilities will remain. This was where advanced medical equipment for cancer treatment and services such as Pathology were located. Once the entire process is completed, these facilities will be relocated to the same area. These spaces will be connected to the new hospital via underground tunnels.

Once all these processes are completed, construction of a therapeutic garden will begin on the plot where the tower currently stands. Among the plans for Hospital 12 de Octubre is to create a green area, with vegetation and shaded spaces, for use by patients and professionals at the healthcare complex. The entire hospital modernization process began in August 2021 with work to create the new inpatient ward on the site of the former parking lot.

Separately from these works, minor works have been planned for 12 de Octubre to modify the entry and exit of emergency vehicles from the Emergency Department area. Currently, the access is located at the Málaga roundabout, along a second roundabout located southwest of the first. During rush hour, this point attracts a high density of vehicle and pedestrian traffic, which hinders the work of emergency units.

To this end, the proposed project is "the creation of a new road between the Málaga roundabout and the inner road that runs north-south, close to the former and parallel to Avda. de Córdoba," according to the construction contract. One of the sidewalks will be rerouted to avoid two intersections with the new road. The total work is estimated to last 23 working days, although no start date has yet been specified.