The Minister of Health, Mónica García, has ruled out that Ceuta is experiencing a "health collapse," although she has admitted the existence of "especially tense" areas, such as emergency services and several internal medicine and surgical wards. At the same time, she has emphasized that "there is a risk to public health derived from the overcrowding of migrants."
"Is there a humanitarian crisis? Yes. Is there a risk to public health right now derived from the overcrowding of people? Yes," the minister has pointed out, who has also indicated that "there is a moderate epidemiological risk for migrants and low for the people of Ceuta."
García has appeared before the press after holding a meeting with the president of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, the government delegate, Miguel Ángel Pérez, and the director of the National Institute of Health Management (INGESA), Isabel Muñoz. During her speech, she explained that the hospital of the autonomous city is "at half" of its admission capacity.
"Right now in the hospital there are 101 people admitted, of which 28 are migrants with different pathologies, most of them mild, there is only one person who is admitted to the intensive care unit. Two in pediatrics, one in obstetrics, in medical wards and in surgical wards," the minister detailed. She has recalled that the number of beds has gone from 175 "under normal conditions" to 212, which, in her opinion, allows concluding that "we can say that half of the hospital is occupied. This is not a situation of collapse of the health system itself."
The head of Health has stressed that the main risks are concentrated in the sanitary conditions of migrant people, "who are the ones that may have greater access to certain infectious diseases that until now have been contained." For this reason, she has urged the Government of Ceuta to make new spaces available to be able to attend to them adequately.
According to her, the autonomous city "is going to cede some spaces," although the Ministry considers that "they need more" to guarantee adequate hygienic-sanitary conditions "and to be able to have migrants in the best possible health conditions."
García has quantified the number of migrants attended in the last two weeks at 5,800, since the beginning of the current migration crisis at the end of July. Of them, 3,500 have been assisted in primary care and 2,300 in the hospital setting.
It has been added that on the first day assistance was provided to 1,149 migrants and that, since then, the pressure of assistance "has been decreasing by 70%", standing at an average of about 300 daily attentions, with a range between 200 and 400 people. This Saturday, it has been specified, 193 people were attended to in the set of health devices.
The minister has emphasized that the situation remains at level 1 of the Guide for the Preparation of Disaster Plans in Hospitals of INGESA. "We have not had to ask for more reinforcements, we have not asked the rest of the communities," she has pointed out, highlighting that no vacations of health personnel have been canceled, unlike what happened in the Army and the Civil Guard, nor has any professional been "forced" to change areas.
She has also wanted to recognize the work of health personnel and the set of public servants. "If there has been no collapse in our health system, it is thanks to the professionals," she has stated, before emphasizing that "none of the consultations and health assistance have been suspended."
"Migration cannot be associated with disease"
García has strongly defended that "associating immigration with disease" is "unjust" and "xenophobic," just as it is to link it with "crime" or "dangers."
"Migrants do not bring diseases. Migrants can become ill now due to unsanitary conditions, but they do not bring diseases," she has reiterated. However, she has confirmed the detection of two cases of tuberculosis: one corresponds to a minor who arrived with the diagnosis and treatment already started in Morocco, and the other to a Ceuta patient with suspected disease.
Likewise, she has reported the existence of "some cases" of positive mantoux —the test that indicates possible exposure to tuberculosis or prior vaccination— that are being referred to the hospital for additional studies, in addition to 18 cases of gastroenteritis. "Having diseases does not mean that migration should be identified with disease," she has reiterated.
"Sheltering and providing shelter" to migrants, health priority
The minister has insisted that "the most urgent health action is outside the hospital and outside health centers" and involves "providing sanitary conditions to migrants, water, hygiene, sanitation, and food." "Sheltering and providing them with shelter, that is the most urgent health action," she has specified.
In this line, he has once again claimed "safe" spaces for migrants, which, he has indicated, "will also become safe spaces for the Ceutí population." He has also advanced that the Ministry will deploy part of the CAES team to Ceuta to reinforce epidemiological control, in coordination with the autonomous city, which maintains competencies in public health.
García has wanted to send "a message of reassurance to the Ceutí population," showing his willingness to be "empathetic" with the "absolutely legitimate fears" that exist. He has emphasized that the assistance circuits are kept separate between migrants and the local population "not because they are going to be treated differently," but "because we consider that they may have different pathologies."
"The circuits are differentiated because there are people who come in a state of dehydration, people who came with hypothermia, people who come with trauma, which has nothing to do with the usual assistance for the people of Ceuta," he has explained, insisting that "with all the calm" any Ceutí "who wants and needs to use their healthcare system can do so."
He has added that, according to the Ministry's data, healthcare for the local population "has not decreased either in emergencies or in healthcare centers." "We have not seen a decline that we could say, hey, well, maybe they are not going to their doctor," he has pointed out.
Reinforcement of staff and presence of the Ministry in Ceuta
The head of Health has explained that the Ministry has incorporated more than 60 additional professionals until August 31, the date on which it will be "reevaluated" whether it is necessary to extend these contracts. He has recalled that the organic staff in Ceuta is 1,000 professionals, while currently there are 1,465 contracted workers.
He has also specified that only 5% of the 100 service commissions requested correspond to professionals who wish to leave the city; the majority request changes of area or transfers between Ceuta and Melilla.
When asked about the possibility of recovering the classification of "difficult coverage" for healthcare positions in Ceuta and Melilla, García has responded that these criteria are set by the Interterritorial Council and that, currently, Ceuta "does not meet some of those criteria."
Finally, she has claimed the continued presence of the Government in the autonomous city and has assured that "every day a minister colleague has been here." She has emphasized that the Ministry of Health "does not come here," because it is already established in Ceuta.
"INGESA is here. The medical director, the territorial director, the care management... They have been informing us daily about what the situation was, I have regularly and daily had an understanding of what the care situation was and I have had absolute and full confidence in the good management they have had," the minister concluded.