The Minister of Health, Mónica García, has announced this Tuesday that she will soon travel to Ceuta to analyze on the ground the current migratory crisis. At the same time, she has insisted that, although there has been a notable increase in healthcare pressure, the recorded figures do not correspond to a scenario of "health crisis," "health collapse," or "health disaster."
García has conveyed this message in a letter sent to the president of the Official College of Physicians of Ceuta, Enrique Roviralta, who had requested her to come to the autonomous city to personally verify the "authentic healthcare disaster" that, according to his complaint, is currently being experienced.
In her writing, the minister reminds Roviralta that the indicators of healthcare for migrant people and the population of Ceuta are monitored daily by the National Institute of Health Management (INGESA) and the Ministry of Health. She also adds that ordinary assistance to the people of Ceuta is maintained without alterations or delays thanks to the deployment of extraordinary devices.
"There has neither been nor is there currently any lack of attention in the Healthcare Area of Ceuta, as some alarmist sources insist on conveying to the population, whose main objective does not seem to be the improvement of healthcare for the people of Ceuta, but to sow confusion and fear among the population in accordance with their particular interests. The public health service, on the contrary, looks after the general interests of the citizenry," García emphasized in the letter.
The head of Health also emphasizes that, in the autonomous city, the competencies in public health actions correspond to the Government of Ceuta.
In this context, she details that the Healthcare Area of Ceuta has more than 1,300 public professionals in a territory of 18.5 km2, which means 70.3 professionals per km2. As she explains, "this investment in professionals, as is well known, has no precedents, due to its extensive provision, in any other healthcare area of the National Health System that serves a similar population."
García also highlights that INGESA, in coordination with the Government Delegation and the Ceuta Executive, and with the support of entities such as Red Cross, has launched a specific healthcare response since the beginning of the crisis to address the increase of people coming from Morocco who have accessed the city.
In this sense, it specifies that the assistance resources of INGESA in Ceuta have been reinforced with more than 60 additional professionals, who will remain operational, in principle, until August 31, depending on the evolution of the situation.
The minister also informs that the University Hospital of Ceuta is currently attending to 26 admitted migrant patients, in a center that has 110 occupied beds out of a total of 175 available.
Regarding some of these hospitalized patients, García explains that the corresponding diagnostic and epidemiological studies are being carried out due to the appearance of febrile and intestinal conditions of varying severity. These analyses are being conducted together with the Ceuta health authorities responsible for public health. "Furthermore, no deaths have been recorded in the scope of INGESA related to this situation," she specifies.
Budgetary and personnel reinforcement of INGESA
In the same letter, García reminds the president of the Medical College that the Government of Spain has increased the budget of INGESA by 70 percent since 2018, going from 246 million to 416.7 million euros. Since 2023 alone, more than 13 million euros have been allocated to the Health Area of Ceuta to renew equipment and improve infrastructure.
She also announces that an additional investment of up to 18 million euros in new material and works is planned. The minister emphasizes that this "investment effort" comes after a period (2011-2018) in which the cut in investments was "drastic" and "left a mark on the Ceuta healthcare system that is difficult to recover."
García highlights that INGESA is currently the main employer in the city, with more than 1,300 workers, and that the hiring of medical personnel has been increasing since 2018. Between 2018 and 2026, the University Hospital of Ceuta has added 16 doctors, from 135 to 151, which represents an increase of 11.85 percent. In that same period, the Specialized Care staff grows by 5.59 percent, while in Primary Care the doctors increase by 2.77 percent and the overall staff by 2.47 percent.
"All these increases in staff and resources have occurred while global healthcare activity was reduced by around 34 percent due to the border closure in 2020. It is important to emphasize this, because there is no other place where, despite a global reduction of 34 percent in healthcare activity, there has been an increase in the number of professionals," says the minister.
To conclude, García assures that the Ministry of Health will maintain and expand the necessary health reinforcements for as long as needed, always acting within the framework of its competencies.