New criticism of Mallorca hospital emergencies overcrowding

Emergencies, Son Espases Hospital, Palma

There are regular union criticisms of the situation. | Archive

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma01/09/2021 13:41

The Simebal doctors union has once more denounced the "collapse and saturation" of Son Espases emergencies, a situation that has been occurring "over recent days". The president of the union, Dr. Miguel Lázaro, says that on Tuesday, for example, there were more than one hundred patients in emergencies, 57 of whom were waiting for a hospital bed.

The hospital's management has recognised the pressure. On Tuesday, twenty more ward beds were opened. This is possible because nursing staff are extending their working hours.

The IB-Salut health service says that all employment contracts for health personnel that ended on Tuesday have been extended for six months. Nevertheless, there is an acceptance that there is a shortage of personnel. No more nurses are currently being taken on as there aren't any in the bank of qualified personnel from which they can be drawn.

Lázaro is critical of the health service's management. "They don't go down to emergencies to see what it is like. We are in an extreme situation." There needs to be "better planning", and meanwhile there is "exhaustion" among medical staff.