Hospitals grateful for donations
TORREVIEJA hospital and Vinalopó hospital in Elche have received more than 100 donations from businesses, associations and members of the public since the Covid-19 crisis began.
They have included food, protection and hygiene materials, use of hotel rooms or apartments and vehicles, as well as all sorts of things to relax and entertain patients, explained a spokeswoman for Ribera Salud, the company that manages these public hospitals for the regional government.
Also, during Holy Week they received many traditional seasonal treats, such as mona cakes, panquemaos and Easter eggs.
Food has made up 30% of all the donations, and a similar amount has been PPE and hygiene and skin care products for health workers.
Popular presents for patients have been newspapers, magazines, jigsaws, puzzle books, notebooks and colouring pens, as well as two dozen tablets for those in isolation to communicate with their families by video calls.
Also, a law firm has offered to do health workers’ income tax declarations (the annual campaign started on April 1) to make the procedure easier for them at this time when they are under so much additional pressure at work.
Meanwhile, car companies have lent vehicles so that medics can visit patients in their homes so they do not have to travel to health centres.
Furthermore, companies that own hotels or manage tourist apartments have offered their facilities to people who work in health centres to stay in for free so that they can avoid any risk of infecting their families.
These include the Meridional in Guardamar del Segura, a four-star establishment on the seafront which is one of six from the provincial hotel association that have made a total of 3,000 beds available to the regional health service for workers or discharged patients who must remain in quarantine.
Others include the Complejo
Sant Joan and the Goya hotels, El Plantio and Alicante Hills, as well as the Hostal Savoy in Alcoy.
The health service will cover the costs of cleaning, laundry, security and food, and the regional government has promised to leave them as they found them and pay insurance to cover any possible damage.