Despite never acknowledging there was a problem, even when faced with strong criticism from patients forced to wait hours for treatment, and associations complaining about the poor quality of service since the department management was reverted to public control, it would now appear that the department has been taking steps to solve the problem that didn’t exist.
According to a press release, the Torrevieja Health Department has made a significant organisational and personnel recruitment effort to reinforce the primary care teams since recovery for the department’s public system. The new additions make it possible to offer better care to the Department’s patients and their families.
In primary care, the Department has incorporated 122 new professionals: 46 physicians specialising in family and community medicine, 3 paediatricians, 57 professionals dependent on nursing management, and 16 new orderlies.
“These data reflect the significant effort to recruit staff at a time when the pressure on care and the lack of professionals at a national level is not easy,” explained the manager of the department, José Cano.
The press release continues to explain how this recruitment drive is considerably reducing the average waiting time, placing it at historical lows for the department. The average wait to be treated in primary care health centres in the department of Torrevieja is 4.85 days. Some centres have a much lower average wait: 1.93 days in Rojales, 1.96 days in Lo Marabú, 1.76 days in Benijófar, 1 day in Mil Palmeras, 1.42 in San Fulgencio, 3.34 days in Guardamar, 2.99 days in San Luis (Torrevieja), 3 days in La Mata or 3.80 days in La Loma (Torrevieja), among others.
That information is in direct contrast to the details the details provided by the “Sanidad Excelente” group, saying that patients are still waiting up to 20 days for an appointment at the La Loma health centre in Torrevieja, with a date for the next appointment being given as 8 March, which the management denies.
However, a quick check on the GVASalut app on 15 February for an appointment at the La Mata clinic did give an appointment on 17 February.
The manager, José Cano, has valued the “important contractual effort that is being made, the flexibility of our professionals and their high involvement in meeting the health demands of the population.”
