President seeks to apply pressure over Torrevieja hospital
PRESIDENT of Alicante province Carlos Mazón has asked for a meeting with regional president Ximo Puig in an attempt to persuade him that Torrevieja hospital and healthcare area should remain in private hands.
Public healthcare in the zone, which includes Orihuela Costa, Rojales and the surrounding area, has been run by Ribera Salud since 2006 after the health service was opened up to the private sector by the former Partido Popular (PP) regional government.
Ribera Salud is owned by the US-based Centene Corporation.
Sr Mazón said in a press statement that he wanted to explain to Sr Puig the reasons why he thinks it is necessary to extend the company’s concession, which is due to come to an end in October next year.
He told Sr Puig that, in his opinion, it would a ‘serious error’ to take the healthcare area back into the public sector.
The Alicante politician claimed that it could lead to a ‘backwards step’ in the quality of care and also the loss of promised investments from Ribera Salud.
He also stated that the public-private initiative in Torrevieja had been a ‘success’.
“This model of management is producing magnificent results in care and efficiency,” he said.
The Valencia government has repeated on a number of occasions that it is continuing to pursue its goal to reverse privatised health services.
Meanwhile the Green party (Los Verdes) in Torrevieja is seeking the support of the local Socialist party (PSOE) to present a motion in a full council meeting calling for the ‘recovery’ of the hospital and healthcare area.
They noted that the motion had been drawn up by recently founded association Sanidad 100 x 100 Pública.
A spokeswoman said: “Strengthening public healthcare is particularly important as we come out of the Covid19 crisis.
“We can only do this with a strong health service which is in the public sector and we have to recover the privatisations that were carried out by the PP.”