It was a mixed day for the Regional Minister of Health Miguel Minguez as he visited The University Hospital of Torrevieja recently, accompanied by the hospital manager, José Cano, and the Mayor of Torrevieja, Eduardo Dolón.
The dignitaries were visiting the medical facility to see the additional and newly created patient suits. There are 20 new individual rooms for patients on the second floor, all of which have bathrooms adapted for people with reduced mobility. The revamp of the rooms has been accompanied by the installation of a new call centre in the Nursing Station so that patients can reach staff at the touch of a button, as well as the renovation of the beds and medical equipment in the suits.
Miguel Mínguez, said: “The new hospitalisation rooms increase the capacity of the centre and, in addition, represent a qualitative leap in the well-being of both patients and their families.”
The new rooms have been created after a reorganisation and reform of the floor’s layout. The space was previously used as sleeping and rest areas for on duty medical staff. However, staff now have new facilities, including a living room and bedrooms for rest and relaxation, freeing up the space for other uses.
Repairs and redecoration have also been undertaken in the rooms and corridors, the floors have been polished and the necessary hospital fixtures and fittings have been renewed. The total cost of the improvements amounts to 161,805 euros.
Protests
However, its wasn´t all good news and celebrations as the Minister was greeted by protesters has he arrived for the visit. Most of the staff demonstrating were laboratory workers who believe they were ‘sold out’ when the Regional Health Ministry assumed the running and management of the hospital in 2021. Until that time the facility had been operated privately by Ribera Salud.
During its management Ribera Salud contracted lab services out to a local Torrevieja company. However, the change in management means that the lab workers could now be left unemployed as the Health Ministry plans to bring the service in-house – despite the fact that most of the 30-strong team has worked for the hospital for 16 years. Staff want the Ministry to offer them employment contracts to continue working as part of the in-house service.
The Minister for Health listened to the workers issues and promised to hold a meeting to discuss the issues and see if the situation can be resolved.
However, workers weren’t the only group voicing their concerns. Members of the public also gathered to criticise what they see as a drop in service and staffing levels since the management changeover. They believe that waiting times for surgical operations and medical treatments have increased and that the emergency department is struggling to cope with the needs of patients and of the community.
However, Jose Cano, head of the hospital and local medical centres, said: “Emergency service waiting times have been improving in recent months with an average wait of 2 hours and 35 minutes.”