Balearics granted special care status

SPANISH health minister Ana Pastor, confirmed in Palma that the first stages of a procedure have been initiated to declare the Balearic Islands a “specially designated health area”. This status is also enjoyed by the Canary Islands. Jaume Matas, the leader of the Balearic government, and his Health minister, Aina Castillo, had officially requested that the Islands be credited with the title last July. Pastor said that necessary statutes confirming this distinction will be made law by 2004. The declaration of the Balearics as a “specially designated health area” will give recognition to the fact that nation-wide reporting on health issues can be undertaken from the Islands' hospitals. Such medical centres would receive central government funding which could be an enormous economic asset in financing hospital rebuilding, such as Palma's Son Dureta. na Pastor also indicated that there are some aspects of Balearic health care, resulting from mixed race population n patterns, that could be of “great interest to the National Health System”. An agreement was signed between the government and the Carlos III Institute, a health department, to promote this development.