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CostaBlancaPeople 14th - 20th June 2022
14th - 20th June - edition 945
Tel: 607 031 113 | claire@costablancapeople.com | costablancapeople.com
Your Essential Weekly Read
Torrevieja Hospital restructures Emergency Department
See page 12
After weeks of complaints over long waits and understaffing, torrevieja hospital has restructured its emergency department and has launched a crisis plan to improve the service. hospital managers met on Friday with Mónica Almiñana, undersecretary of the Ministry of universal health and Public health and enrique Soler, deputy director General of integrated Care Activity, with the aim of designing a so called Shock Plan that will come into effect immediately. the move comes after a recent barrage of complaints about the emergency department with patients being made to wait for hours before being attended. earlier this month, A&e hired a new head of Service and a head of Section, in addition to reinforcing staffing across all its professional categories, expanding hours and personnel in all the Continuous Care Points (PACs) of the department. Added to these existing measures is the creation of a new ‘quick care consultation’ without waiting, the provision of new special cubicles, in addition to the involvement of different medical specialties from the hospital itself. on the other hand, the Ministry of health and hospital management are working to support and strengthen medical specialists from other hospitals in the area, who can support healthcare activity in torrevieja at peak times.
the announcement from the hospital came after a week laden with complaints on social networks. Among the complaints, one was made public by an emergency doctor who works at the hospital in which it was claimed that “patients die unhappily in the corridors” after more than eight hours of waiting. the mayor of torrevieja, eduardo dolón condemned the situation on thursday, saying that the situation is “unsustainable” and that he had warned about the lack of human resources, which focuses on the lack of doctors to cover shifts and delays of five, ten and fifteen hours in A&e with only nursing assistance in triage. on Friday the mayor said that what the shock plan should announce is the hiring of more doctors. he has also indicated that he plans to meet with the new Minister of health early this week. the hospital says that the emergency department has hired professionals in all categories: 38 more nurses, going from 21 to 58, eight more Auxiliary nursing Care technicians, going from 15 to 23, four additional guards, going from 17 to 21. in addition, during the easter period, two extra guards were hired. the emergency department had then also hired two additional administrative professionals, going from six to eight. however, it has not been possible to hire specialist doctors. the announcement of the ‘shock plan’ for the emergency department
coincides with the decision to leave the service of one of its most experienced emergency medicine doctors, dr. José Peris, who announced on Friday his departure from torrevieja instead join the Vinalopó hospital team. he does so after fifteen years of medical work in the emergency department and union representation. Reports claim that dr Peris is exhausted from the situation over the last number of weeks of ‘extreme saturation’ in the emergency Room in torrevieja. “doctors are vocational. And sometimes we hope to have resolved a patient’s situation and receive a smile. now we are caring for patients and their families whom we meet after more than eight and nine hours of waiting. i thought i would finish my professional life in torrevieja, where i live, but we cannot go to work scared. in January the situation improved with the new leadership and it was noted that whoever took responsibility wanted to change things. And we support it”. however, that person in charge of the service decided to leave the position in the middle of Continued on page 3