MANACOR
THE Manacor Hospital has detected a significant and worrying increase in the number of cancer cases. This disease is one of the most prominent for causing the deaths of the younger population. A team of skin specialists at the Manacor Hospital have carried out a study into cancer within the Manacor area. The results of the study show that each year there are around twenty new cases of serious skin cancer. The Head of the skin department, Vicenç Rocamora and the specialists, Alex Llambrich and Maria Concepción Sánchez, were responsible for carrying out this survey. The study looked into the increase of cases of patients suffering with cancer. The doctors arrived at their conclusions after assessing 90 patients during a 5 year period (from 1999 to 2004). “For the one new cancer case discovered in 1999 there were 17 new cases in 2004”, said the specialists Rocamor and Llambrich. In spite of these increases it is necessary to point out the cancer cases are being detected earlier and earlier and are therefore being treated earlier”, they added.

Clean-up operation

ALGAIDA
SIXTY volunteers took part in a clean-up operation yesterday, after the Easter celebrations in Algaida left remains of food and rubbish. The day was organised by the town council, two Youth Groups and the Civil Protection Department in order to make people, especially the younger residents, more aware of the environment.

Vandalism problems

SES SALINES
THE seafront path in Ses Salines still has no lighting. Last June there were 80 street lamps that did not work and now there are already 198 out of the total 214 street lamps that are broken. This information was collected by the Head of streets, cleaning, street lamps and gardens, Miquel Roca. “Out of the total 214, 8 are completely broken, 170 did not light up and have faults, and 20 broken for unknown reasons”, he said. With regards to the causes for this dark situation he states that “eighty percent of the cases are caused by mindless vandalism and the remaining by the sea water which causes a lot of damage to street lamps”. Currently the town council is purchasing street lamps so that the area will have light this summer season. These lamps are being bought from Germany and will cost around 6'250 euros.

Private pool

MURO
THE town council has just agreed to privatise the two swimming pools in the area (one a outdoor pool, the other an indoor). The motion was agreed by the right-wing, the Majorcan Unionist and the CDM local parties, because of the deficit that the swimming pools incur each year. “The swimming pools bring in around 8'000 euros a year but accumulate a debt of 120'000 euros a year. We believe that if the pools are managed privately, it will help to save money and it will not mean that the service is worsened”, said the Head of Sports, Cati Alzamora. The Socialist party opposed this motion for privatisation. “We do not think that privatisation of the pools will help to reduce the deficit, which is not as large as they want to make us believe because the accounts do not include the money made at the outdoor pool. This privatisation move could increase the pool rates and reduce the opening hours”, said the councillor Pere Amengual.