The Minister of Health, Mónica García, has come forward this Wednesday in defense of the actions of her department in the healthcare services of Ceuta following the arrival of migrant people, amid a call for a strike by doctors and nurses set for September 24.
In an interview on the program 'La Cafetera' of Radiocable, reported by Europa Press, and when questioned about the "pressure in the healthcare of Ceuta" and the announced strikes, García explained that she maintains "contact" with the medical union of Ceuta, with the other union organizations, and "directly" with the professionals. In addition, she emphasized that the Secretary of State for Health, Javier Padilla, visits the autonomous city "every week."
The head of Health has admitted that there are areas that "are very tense," especially Emergencies and Primary Care (AP), although she stressed that they have been "reinforced." In this regard, she highlighted that, in "mid-August," "more than 80 additional professionals" were incorporated into Ceuta's healthcare.
"When I was talking with the head of Emergencies, she told me that they had been able to resolve, it is true that with extra effort, that care tension that has never reached collapse, because they have been able to avoid it, thanks to the fact that we have been working for years on reinforcing the staff," she stated.
García specified that the University Hospital of Ceuta currently has "25 doctors in Emergencies," while the La Paz University Hospital in Madrid, "with almost 10 times more beds, has 54." "This means that we have three times more resources in Emergencies proportionally than what the La Paz Hospital has," she highlighted.
However, she clarified that this "does not mean that there has not been, during this month and a half, a situation of greater stress," both in the care load and in the "emotional" aspect. For this reason, she indicated that the Ministry will make a specific reinforcement available to professionals and the Ceuta citizenry in the field of mental health.
"I understand that pressure, that care tension, but it is also true that we have avoided any Ceuta resident seeing either a delayed or closed surgery or a single consultation," she concluded, emphasizing that "it is part of the success of the healthcare system and the professionals."