seven months of cuts and privatization in Madrid health
Seven months after the presentation by the Madrid Government of the PP of the sothe measures taken so far and its impact on the functioning of Madrid's public health and on the health care that the population receives.
First, the degree of realization of the plan proposals should be assessed:
- Reconversion of the Princess Hospital: it has not been executed in the planned terms, although the result of the agreement reached with the heads of service have already been implemented some geriatric specialties.In any case, the hospital remains a general hospital with reference services and fundamentally, the plans of the
-Reconversion of the Carlos III hospital: it has not yet been executed.The Ministry has made a proposal to depend on La Paz, which is seeing with the Heads of Service but not with the workers' representatives.It seems that the entire area of international care (tropical diseases, etc.) will be preserved.
-Privatization central laundry (improved): The specifications have not yet been approved.
-Privatization Central Radiodiagnosis Unit: There have also been specific advances
-Privatization Primary care centers: it was announced that they were going to be 27 and lately that they will only start for four, although the conditions of conditions have not yet been approved, although they have already approved a decree that regulates the conditions that mustto fulfill the entities formed by professionals who may be interested.It also remains to be specified.
-Privatization Non -health services Hospitals: Hospitals: The specifications of some services of some hospitals such as cleaning for example have already been approved.
-Concentration of the laboratories: an agreement was reached with those responsible in such a way that there will not be a single central laboratory for all centers, that is, the provisions of the plan were not carried out.
-Cierre Cardiology Institute: It has been closed since December, even before regional budgets and their personnel relocated in other hospital centers or fired for non -renewal of contracts.It is the only point that has been fulfilled for all purposes
-Tasa of the euro per recipe.It began to become effective in January 2013 and was of short duration when it was suspended by the Constitutional Court (government and PSOE resources), despite this, € 4.9 million were expropriated to Madrid, money that probably notThey will see again.
-Suspension of active service extensions (forced retirement of those who had grant their prolongation up to 70 years), carried out on May 15.No hiring have been made in vacancies.
-Privatization Hospitals of Mixed Management: The specifications that were published in the BOCM have been approved.They are pending award and the PSOE has made an appeal against which it has been admitted to processing by the Constitutional Court.
And we must not forget the other measures made:
-It is applying the privatization of non -health services of the Hospital de Puerta de Hierro, although in reality it isof a measure pending apply since 2008.
-It tried to withdraw the sanitary helicopter with Lozoyuela: the regional government has rectified and maintains it, although at the expense of subsidies for local issues that it annually grants the municipalities of said areas.
-Cierre of the Laín Entralgo training agency, with the corresponding employment file.
-The afternoon extensions have been suspended in many centers.
-It has produced a shortage of vaccines in health centers and other materials.
In this context, the approval of the privatizations of the 6 Semi -Private Hospitals (PFI) that have the clear intention not only of privatizing healthcare but also in addition to favoring the private sector at the expense of public funds.
It is striking, for example, the high bed that arises (well above that of traditional management centers (in some cases triples the annual bed cost), as well as the cost for stay that is far higher than that of public hospitals.On the other hand, the existing technology (bought by the public system) is transferred at the balance price, and they are guaranteed an annual canon update with the CPI, while the public sector only suffers budget cuts.audiences that are Social Security Heritage (Specialties Centers and Mental Health Centers).which can be affirmed that these are specifics designed only for companies benefits.
It also turns out that only one company has been presented for each hospital (Ribera Salud in Vallecas and Arganda, Bup-Sanitas in Coslada, and Hima in San Sebastián de los Reyes and Parla-Aranjuez) because it seems, well among companies, well by the Ministry, and calls into question that it is really a public and open tender.
Another relevant fact is the landing of Hima a company of Puerto Rico specialized in "health tourism" so its practice does not correspond to the guarantee of health care of a delimited geographical area.
The problems of delivering hospitals to business groups have been repeatedly denounced, but these problems make major when it comes to multinationals associated with capital-risgo companies that can easily decide a divestment in the health area leaving without coverage to coveragecitizenship.This issue becomes even more thorny with the presence of companies without health experience such as OHL and the English Court and with groups dedicated to “health tourism” whose care practice has nothing to do with guaranteeing health care to a geographically delimited population.
Of course views the entities that have presented the reasonable thing is to think that the Ministry of Madrid, whose responsible are politically and personally "burned" by the conflict that have irresponsibly caused, have been those that have led to these presentations through pressures of all kinds,And let's hope that the funds of Madrid's public health have not been mortgaged.
At the same time, there has been a large staff cut, around 2,500 jobs in the health centers in 4 months, and moreover, it is expected that when the year ends the staff cut between 7 and 8,000 troops from all categories.
In addition, copagos are being applied in application of the RD Law 16/2012 in Pharmacy, and in prostheses, orthosis and diets, being provided for non -urgent sanitary transport, and the public financing of 417 medications was withdrawn.
HePharmaceutical co -payment has produced a decrease in the number of recipes (10. 987,660 less recipes, 9.97% less recipes) that is due to 2 phenomena that act in parallel, the exclusion of medications and the unpaid of recipes prescribed by pensionersWith low income (a total of 16.83% of pensioners do not withdraw any recipe/s for not being able to assume the costs of the copayment).
The call centers are being used for a systematic derivation of diagnostic tests and surgical interventions towards private centers (well administrative concessions, special concert centers and concerted centers) that occur from call centers that pursue users for users toChange the appointments of public centers for others in private ones.At the same time, numerous cases have been detected in which the free choice of center by users has been prevented from avoiding, with all kinds of tricks, the choice of public centers.
And in the midst of everything, irregular immigrants have been excluded from the public health system and the conditions under which it has been established in clear violation of European conventions and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and we believe we believe that it isunconstitutional.
Results
The results of this policy can be summarized in:
-4,700,000 less consultations in primary care (of general medicine, pediatrics and nursing)
-1.054,000 less external consultations of specialized care
-123,000 Radiological Explorations less
-44,800 income less
-37.400 Surgical interventions less
-A loss of the quality of the care paid
Waiting lists increase
In accordance with the above, it will occur, an increase in waiting times, especially in external consultations and surgical interventions.The estimated increase in these delays is 9.5% average, although its distribution will not be homogeneous and there will be some specialties and activities that will have much higher increases.
worsens the quality of health care
Because less personnel to serve the patients is a greater workload, a decrease in quality, less patient safety, and an increase in the risks of errors in assistance.
citizenship rejects the process of cuts and privatizations
Madrid citizens have repeatedly expressed its rejection of the health policy of the regional government of the PP, through mass participationIn the mobilizations, the collection of more than 1,800,000 signatures against privatization, actively participating in the popular consultation (more than 930,000 voters), etc.Another fact is that it shows citizen concern against the actions of the PP in Madrid is that in the last Barometer of the CIS (April 2013) in the Community of Madrid, 12.8% of respondents point to health as the main problem against7.9% in the country as a whole
With everything it is convenient to be aware that the privatization process advances more slowly than expected, thanks to the pressure of citizenship and health workers, which have been mobilizing for seven months against cuts and privatizations in Madrid's public health.The tactics of the Madrid government and the Ministry seems to be clear: letting the time pass for tiredness to end generating demobilization.It is a risky strategy because it generates a lot of frustration and of course in the medium term it will end up taking its toll.We have to continue with sustainable mobilizations over time, and the most unitary and integrative as possible.It is a health and moral requirement.