Takeover of Torrevieja hospital on track
Health department which is managed by a private company will come back under public control
THE VALENCIA government has given more details on the process of bringing Torrevieja healthcare department back under the wing of the public healthcare system.
Councillor for health Ana Barceló explained that Ribera Salud – the private company which runs the hospital and local healthcare department – will be officially notified in October that their contract will not be renewed.
Healthcare in the area has been operated by Ribera Salud since 2006, with the move facilitated by the former Partido Popular (PP) regional government which opened up the health service to the private sector at the end of the 1990s.
However, the current coalition regional government – run by the Socialist party (PSOE), Compromís and Unidas Podemos – gave notification in November that they were ‘going to reverse the concession in Torrevieja when it runs out’ in October, 2021.
At the time regional vicepresident Mónica Oltra from Compromís stated: “Healthcare is not a business, it is a fundamental right.”
Speaking in the regional parliament in Valencia last week, Sra Barceló said their plan to bring back ‘privatised’ health services remains on course.
“The roadmap has not changed,” she stated.
As such, the 170,000 residents living in the Torrevieja healthcare area – which also includes Guardamar, Rojales, San Miguel de Salinas, Orihuela Costa, Pilar de la Horadada, Formentera del Segura, San Fulgencio, Los Montesinos and Benijófar – ‘will all come back into the public system’. Sra Barceló noted that the coronavirus pandemic has shown the importance of public healthcare.
“Everyone has been attended to without any discrimination,” she said.
Zaplana’s 'baby'
The process to bring the private sector into healthcare in the Valencia region was started by former PP regional president Eduardo Zaplana, who signed a contract with the Ribera Salud to run public services in 1997.
The model started by Sr Zaplana – who is facing corruption charges for alleged crimes committed during his time in public office – has been fiercely criticised by opponents for being expensive and inefficient, with the regional government paying vast sums of money to a private company to operate a public service.
Torrevieja Salud
The company set up to operate in the Vega Baja – Torrevieja Salud – manages 24 health centres, as well as the university hospital.
The service offered by the hospital has received mixed reviews from users – with some praising the experience and others complaining bitterly about the organisation.
Torrevieja mayor Eduardo Dolón (PP) is fighting to keep the status quo, saying that the regional government should ‘not interfere with something which is working’.
Who are Ribera Salud?
US-based Centene Corporation possesses 90% of the shares in Ribera Salud, with the remaining 10% owned by Banco Sababell.
Centene Corporation is a ‘multi-line managed care enterprise that serves as a major intermediary for both government-sponsored and privately insured health care programmes’ in the US.
Hospital battle hots up
Rival political forces have started the fight in earnest for the ‘soul’ of healthcare in the Torrevieja area.
The platform ‘Sanidad 100 X 100 Pública’ (healthcare 100% public) held a demonstration in Torrevieja hospital car park on Monday – and were officially presented to the press in an inaugural meeting at Guardamar’s Casa de Cultura on Tuesday. They are calling for ‘quality public healthcare’ and an end to the concession awarded to Ribera Salud.
“We do not want decisions on investment, plans and staff to be taken in the interests of shareholders of the Centene Corporation based in Missouri,” they stated.
They added that ‘healthcare should not be a business for private companies to exploit’.
Tuesday’s meeting was supported by Guardamar’s mayor, José Luis Sáez who spoke to people who attended.
Also this week, president of Alicante province Carlos Mazón visited Torrevieja hospital accompanied by the Partido Popular (PP) mayors of Torrevieja and Orihuela, Eduardo Dolón and Emilio Bascuñana.
He hailed the ‘success of the public private partnership’ in the healthcare area and stated that it should not be returned to the public sector.
“I want to transmit my support to maintaining this model of management, which is bringing magnificent results,” he stated.
Sr Mazón claimed the hospital has ‘the best efficiency record’ and that the company is prepared to make further investments in the area.
He also claimed that they were reducing waiting lists and public spending.