Critical care

Private hospitals and overtime being offered for weekend ops as waiting lists soar and ‘chaos’ returns to infamous hospital

PATIENTS waiting for elective surgery in Alicante are being increasingly referred to private operators to reduce the backlog of operations.

Provincial budgets for private hospital operations have been raised this year to €22 millionup €7 million on 2022. The rise comes after private referrals rose by 30% compared to 2021, leaving 23,733 people waiting for an operation as of January 1.

The total is 25% higher than in 2020 - the first year of the Covid pandemic - and a quarter of the patients have been waiting for over six months.

Health has once again become a critical issue with doctors in the Valencian Community warning that emergency wards have become ‘saturated’ with patients not being seen by primary care units. The regional president of the Society of Emergency Medicine, Javier Millan, told the Olive Press : “On some days we are getting an increased workload of up to 40%.”

Valencia’s Health Ministry pointed out that surgical waiting times do not apply to emergencies, and any other non-delayable procedures, such as cancer.

Surgery

Traumatology, General Surgery, and Ophthalmology procedures account for over two-thirds of those currently waiting.

The longest delays of up to 15 months are for hip and knee surgeries in Alicante, Alcoy, and Elche.

Besides paying private hospitals to take patients, overtime is being offered to staff to carry out procedures at weekends and evenings.

The amount of out-of-hours evening surgeries already went up by over 60% last year. Controversy meanwhile, has continued over the running of Torrevieja Hospital, which returned to public management in October 2021.

It has seen a big rise in emergency waiting times and for elective surgeries since then and there has been considerable criticism in recent weeks with accusations of ‘chaos’. While the current funding did not affect waiting times for emergency departments, one woman in Orihuela said she waited more than nine hours at Torrevieja hospital for her son’s broken arm to be checked.

The British expat mother gave up and paid €250 at Quiron private hospital, where her son was immediately checked and his arm put in plaster.

“I would pay every time for a private service because the public system just doesn’t work,” she said.

Torrevieja’s ‘Excellent Health Platform’ claimed that there had been ‘an obvious fall in health services in Torrevieja at the end of 2022’.

Platform president, Maria del Carmen Matteo, said: “The lack of staff in key positions, be it surgeons or emergency doctors, has created situations that we’ve never seen before.

“Somebody in the Valencian government should assume responsibility immediately as what is happening in Torrevieja is unsustainable,” she added.

Termination

Private contractor Ribera Salud, which previously ran Torrevieja, faces a similar removal from the Marina Alta health department, which includes Denia Hospital.

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The Valencian government has to give a oneyear notice of the termination of their contract with Ribera, which is scheduled to end on January 31, 2024.

Rental rise

DEMAND for rental homes in Valencia from digital nomads is helping to push up prices to a record high, with rents rising by almost 10% last year.

Olde fair

BENISSA holds its medieval fair this Friday through to Sunday featuring 50 craft stalls together with food for all tastes and live entertainment.

Burgos link

RENFE has launched a non-stop high speed train link between Valencia and Burgos in Castilla y Leon. Six weekly services will run initially with a journey time of over three-anda-half hours.

Air dispute

AIR traffic controllers are going on strike at Alicante-Elche, Castellon, and Valencia airports on January 30, as well as February 6, 13, 20, and 27.

A BRUTAL gang of bogus cops is at large after torturing a businessman with an electric dog collar and threatening to cut off an ear belonging to his baby son.

Four hooded assailants said they were Guardia officers and wore vests identifying themselves as such as during the December 8 home invasion in Betera. They entered the Torre en Conill urbanisation villa belonging to a hospitality

Horrific ordeal

business owner and demanded money. The 53-year-old was repeatedly punched and given shocks from the dog collar before being thrown down the stairs leading to the basement. He suffered several fractured ribs and severe bruising.

His pregnant wife arrived home an hour later and after covering her head, the thugs threatened her and her 20-monthold son.

Again the demands for money continued and the robbers threatened to cut off one of the baby’s ears. The criminals eventually fled with some watches and the baby’s christening medallion.