Hospital staff demonstrated at the main door of Hospital Santa Ana yesterday over the lack of personnel to tackle the summer population.

Political representatives were present, such as David Martin, belonging to the local branch of Axsí and is a councillor in the Town Hall.

He said, “Once again the promised reinforcements for the summer period can’t even cover the vacancies caused by hospital staff taking their annual holidays.”

Party colleague, Sagrario Martín Pino, had the following to say:

“The lack of personnel in a coastal area that triples its population in summer is more apparent when some basic services are closed, such as the Unidad del Dolor del hospital Santa Ana, which will remain closed during July.”

David Martin considers that the Junta doesn’t hire more staff because the PP (who govern the regional government) wants to save on what they see as just another expense. He also pointed out that there is no shortage of hospital staff with their names in the employment pool, waiting to be called; a call that hasn’t come.

Sagrario Martín Pino concluded with, “We have become accustomed to having to wait months or years for an appointment with a specialist such as a cardiologist, for example.” The result is, he said, that those that can afford an appointment with a private specialist do so, whilst those that can’t, can only wait, and wait.

Editorial comment: our dear politicians will receive their summer bonus this month, which is in effect two month’s salary, yet they cannot find the funds to staff hospitals adequately in areas saturated with summer visitors.