Spending vow – with a proviso
RIBERA Salud has promised to spend more than €1 million on improving the health centre in Guardamar del Segura – but only if their concession to run the local healthcare department is renewed by the regional government.
The private company – which is owned by the USbased Centene Corporation – has managed public health in the Torrevieja area since 2006, when they were awarded the contract by the former Partido Popular (PP) government.
However the current coalition government in Valencia has vowed to place the department back under public control next year when the 15-year concession runs out.
Eva Baró, manager of the Torrevieja department, met with Guardamar mayor José Luis Sáez to brief him on the projects which are included in Ribera Salud’s 2021-2026 infrastructure spending plan.
She told him that it includes the ‘extension and improvement’ of the local health centre.
The project would see ‘reforms to cover the growing necessities of the people who use the centre, especially during the summer’, she noted.
These include extending the A&E zone and work on the entrance to improve access for users.
Sr Sáez noted that the extension of the health centre has been a ‘historic demand’ of Guardamar residents.
He also recognised that this will not be resolved before the end of October, when the Valencia government has said it will start the process to rescind Ribera Salud’s contract.
Sr Sáez said he had insisted that healthcare has to be ‘100% public’ and his town hall has sent the petition to extend the centre to regional department ‘so they can take it into account’. He added that he had once again passed on complaints made by Guardamar residents to Sra Baró over the ‘deficient telephone service’ operated by Torrevieja healthcare department.
He noted that Ribera Salud vowed to solve the problem ‘by offering assistance via a call centre’.
Telephone response complaint
Following the complaint, Ribera Salud announced on Wednesday that they had ‘reinforced’ their telephone service with more operators available.
They claimed this will allow patients to better manage their appointments at hospital and health centres.
“It is greatly reducing response times,” stated a spokeswoman.