O LIVE P RESS COSTA BLANCA
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Vol. 4 Issue 85
www.theolivepress.es
July 14th - July 27th 2022
EXCLUSIVE: Crisis at Costa Blanca hospital as doctors quit in their droves and patients wait ‘up to 60 hours for a bed’ DOCTORS at the Costa Blanca’s most beleaguered hospital have slammed the appalling working conditions and disgraceful levels of care. They told the Olive Press that delays of UP TO 18 HOURS were frequent for patients just to see a doctor at Torrevieja Hospital. Meanwhile, the Accident and Emergency (A&E) department was functioning with around ‘a 50% staffing level’, with sometimes ‘just three doctors’. And in an alarming state of affairs, we can reveal that dozens of medics have resigned over conditions where patients are sometimes forced to wait for UP TO 60 HOURS for a bed. Emergency doctor, Jose Peris Giner, who resigned last month, told the Olive Press that his position had become untenable. “I didn’t believe I could work under such conditions any longer,” said the senior medic, who worked at the hos-
By Alex Trelinski & Jorge Hinojosa
pital for 15 years. “It has got to breaking point.” He continued: “When you receive a patient who has been waiting for more than eight hours, it is really difficult to develop a relationship with them. “Everything promised was never put into action. I think the director should resign.” Matters got so heated last autumn that police had to be called in to calm down angry patients who waited for hours to be seen.
Kidnapped
The Olive Press reported last month how a Swedish family was so shocked at the treatment of their father, Bo-Eskil Svensson, 80, they kidnapped him from the ward and took him home to Sweden. Over the last two y e a r s we have continu-
ally highlighted worsening conditions at the hospital. Doctor Peris confirmed things spiralled dramatically from 2020 when private firm Riviera Salud was told it would be losing its contract to the Valencian govern- SCANDAL: Hospital ‘at breaking point’ claims Doctor Peris ment in 2022. Giner (top), while Mayor Dolon (middle) and Doctor Manuel “While Valen- Peris want action cian officials promised the hospital would im- Press. October, after years of political rows. prove when they took over, that’s far “They hire doctors but they instant- Previously the hospital, run by Ribfrom reality,” Peris added. ly quit as the working conditions are era Salud since 2006, had regularly Indeed, he explained that staffing not good enough.” appeared in ‘best hospital’ lists and issues came to a crisis point in the He added that the A&E department won numerous awards. autumn as doctors and other medical was working on around ‘50% of the “It is really alarming as 15 years ago staff quit ahead of the changeover. staff needed’ and this is causing it was one of the best hospitals in His damning indictment was backed stress and depression among his Spain,” Torrevieja mayor Eduardo up by local union boss, doctor Jose members, resulting in a worse ser- Dolon told the Olive Press. Manuel Peris. vice for patients. “It is a fact that a lot of doctors left “There are simply not enough doc- “Most doctors have to work 24-hour over broken promises of excellent tors and the ones who are employed shifts without a break, eight days a working conditions when it changed are overworked,” he told the Olive month, which is against the law. from private management,” added “A patient can wait up to 18 hours to Dolon, who insisted hospital chiefs be seen and with the low number of neither briefed his office, nor local doctors, mistakes are more likely.” media. He added his members were having to take sick days due to depression Investment and were also taking early retireValencia’s new Health Minister, Miment. While the Valencian Health Ministry guel Minguez, claims heavy investsays average A&E waiting times have ment has led to an increase of staff to fallen by 15% since the plan was in- 1,793 people, compared to just 1,043 troduced in June, unions rubbished when Ribera’s contract ended. Yet, despite continual requests for the claim. They insist patients are simply being answers on specific complaints over backed up in A&E corridors or obser- the last six weeks, The Olive Press vation rooms with delays of ‘up to 60 has been totally rebuffed with no one available for comment from the hoshours’ for a hospital bed. Six years and the bus is According to medical unions the pital or regional goverment. problems began when the hospital finally replaced, see page 5 Opinion Page 6 returned to public management in
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