Denia hospital staff protest

STAFF at D enia’s Marina Salud hospital have called a second demonstration on Friday April 21 to protest about the management of the facility.

The march will take place from the port end of Calle Marqués de Campo to the Plaza del Consell - the same route as the previous demo in May 2022, when nearly 1,000 people took to the streets to demand a better public health service.

One year later, the situation is said to be even worse, as just this week the private company in charge of the hospital announced the closure of 20 rooms over the Easter holidays - when the population of Denia multiplies with national and international visitors.

PLANS to extend the fish farm off the coast of Villajoyosa have been scrapped to avoid damage to the highly valuable Bou Ferrer sunken fish wreck.

Both the local council and Alicante University filed reports warning that the project to increase the size of number 12 farm, used to breed sea bass, bream and other species for the food industry, would cause a “severe and critical” effect on the protected diving site, according to the ruling by the regional government.

The presence of the breeding installations has reportedly led to the presence of a large amount of organic matter in the water above

“Both the staff and the patients are suffering the consequences caused by the management of Marina Salud and the Health department,” read a statement by employees.

“We can see how the service is deteriorating day by day, causing an undeserved and irreparable damage to the system,” it continued.

The staff are calling on the involvement of the general public and the political representatives to “prove to the Health authorities that healthcare is a right, not a privilege.”

Plans off

the Bou Ferrer, which could damage the reserve.

One of the studies advises that a distance of at least 2.5 kilometres should be kept between the point of emission of sediments, ie the fish farm, and the site, suggesting that the farm should be moved to a different location.

Divers have reported an almost total lack of visibility at the wreckage on days when the currents flow from the direction of the farm, which severely hinders supervision, inspection and maintenance work.