Paying for their own ambulance

A total of €145,000 will be invested in a local ambulance service for the town by the council, Los Alcázares mayor Mario Pérez Cervera announced this week. Mayor Cervera revealed that the existing service had been cancelled by the regional health service, meaning that the town depended on ambulances posted in San Javier and Torre Pacheco.

“It can take up to 15 minutes for an ambulance to reach Los Alcázares from San Javier or Torre Pacheco,” he said.

“A human life is worth more than the €145,000 we will pay for our own local ambulance service.”

He claimed that the regional government had unilaterally cancelled the agreement signed in 2018 with the council, although the population increases to 60,000 in the summer and the town has no A&E centre. Residents and the current council have been calling on the regional government to set up an A&E service for the town because the health centre closes at 15.00 and no service is available from 21.00 or at the weekends.