Government backtracks on Manacor hospital plans

The opposition parties on Manacor town council, including national (PSOE) and regional (PSM) socialists said yesterday that it was an “outrageous” decision from a government that seems to know only how to “make cuts and lower quality of healthcare.” Sebastià Gaià of the PSM claimed “now we know it is certain that 150'000 people living in the municipality of Manacor won't be benefiting from the extension and improvement programme at the hospital.” PSOE spokesperson Amanda Fernandez said that it was government decisions “such as these which indicate that privatisation is to be brought to a public healthcare system.” Fears are, he added that patients will end up having either first or second class status.” The Republican party (ER) said that now that the emergency departments of primary healthcare centres are closing at 5pm, it means that there will be urgent cases of people needing medical attention flocking to Manacor hospital, “causing bottlenecks and chaos.” Mayor Antoni Pastor leading a Partido Popular alliance in Manacor, had said recently said that “we will not let local residents suffer poorer quality in healthcare,” whilst supporting a restart of a healthcare service monitoring committee.