The Cantabrian Health Service (SCS) has initiated the administrative process to implement the professional category of dietitian-nutritionist within its structure.
This was announced by the Minister of Health, César Pascual (PP), during the afternoon session of the Plenary of the Parliament this Monday, in response to an interpellation from the socialist deputy Raúl Pesquera, to whom he reproached that, when he was Minister of Health, he did not promote the creation of this category.
Pascual specified that the SCS has already prepared and processed the corresponding justification report and that the file is progressing as expected under current regulations.
He added that the SCS will design the specific staff and will gradually incorporate it both in hospitals and in Primary Care, as the map of needs and the human resources plan currently being developed become concrete.
For his part, Pesquera emphasized that these specialists have a university degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics, a health profession "perfectly recognized and regulated." However, he recalled that the Cantabrian Health Service still does not include it in its catalog, which places Cantabria among the four autonomous communities that have not yet created these positions.
In this context, he asked the minister to specify at what point the procedure is and what timeline the department is working with, considering that without nutritionists it is impossible to adequately monitor patients' diets, so that "they are condemned to send them to the private sector."
Update of the fibromyalgia protocol
In another block of the session, the Minister of Health returned to the podium to answer a question from the Vox Parliamentary Group regarding the review of the fibromyalgia protocol.
He explained that the update "is underway" and that it has not yet been completed. However, he emphasized that this "does not mean at all that the Government has been idle" and listed the actions taken so far.
In this sense, Pascual has highlighted the implementation of the Active Pain Management Program in 16 basic health areas, organized around four reference sites: Puente San Miguel, Colindres, Camargo, and Santa Cruz de Bezana. This device has four physiotherapists specifically assigned and has the involvement and coordination of professionals from Medicine, Nursing, Psychology, and Social Work.
Likewise, he has referred to the training program aimed at healthcare professionals and the work of the Cantabrian School of Health.
From Vox, the deputy Natividad Pérez has indicated that this is an interpellation "for accountability" regarding the degree of execution of a non-legislative proposal approved in May 2025, coinciding with World Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Day.
The counselor has rejected that the fact of not having yet reached 100% of what was agreed implies that "the parliamentary mandate has not been fulfilled" and has assured that the protocol will be completed throughout this legislature.
New contracted dependency places
At the end of the afternoon session, the counselor for Social Inclusion, Begoña Gómez del Río (PP), also intervened to inform about the degree of execution of the commitment to create, this year, 200 new contracted places in the dependency care system, as contemplated in the budget agreement of March between PP and PRC.
In response to a question from the Regionalist Group, Gómez del Río has pointed out that 187 places have been formalized for the autonomy and dependency care system, which represents "93.5% of the maximum goal of 200 places."
She detailed that 129 places are intended for elderly people —36 in day centers and 93 in residential centers—, while 58 correspond to people with disabilities with recognized degrees of dependency —4 in day centers, 45 in residential centers, and 9 in sheltered housing—.
The counselor has emphasized that, as of October, 13 places remain to complete the agreed objective, and has clarified that, prior to the agreement, her department already had 86 places processed or contracted, so the contracting "did not begin" solely as a result of the PRC's demand.
She has also indicated that this commitment has sufficient financial backing, with a budget allocation of 108 million euros in 2025 and 123 million in 2026.
However, the PRC deputy Ana Obregón has criticized that, as of today, the goal of 200 new residential places with overnight stays that her group demanded has not been reached, and she has insisted on differentiating between dependency places and disability places.