Simon Wade
DESPITE what bosses claim to be an “impeccable” transition from private to public management, Torrevieja Hospital has seen “about 100” professionals leave their post this week.
Tomorrow, Saturday October 16, sees Ribera Salud’s 15 year tenure at the scandal-hit hospital come to an end, with the managing director of Ribera Salud, José David Zafrilla, claiming: “the transition has taken place in an impeccable manner.”
He insisted: “Ribera delivers the best Community Health Department to the Department of Health Valencian.”
Recently, The Olive Press has reported exclusively on claims of mismanagement, neglect and abuse of patients at the hands of certain hospital staff.
One Olive Press reader was sent home after a 14 hour wait in A&E, only to die in the arms of her mother.
Another went in for a routine gall-stone removal, and emerged weeks later without the lower part of right leg.
Changes are anticipated at midnight tonight, October 15, as the administrative concession will pass into the hands of the public system and the reversion will be complete.
Zafrilla’s claims contradict the opinion of Valenciana’s Minister of Health, Ana Barceló, who said that Ribera Salud had not provided them with the necessary aspects for an orderly and safe transition.
The Torrevieja boss stood his ground and counterclaimed: “all the information has been delivered in a timely manner.”
Zafrilla also admitted that about 100 professionals have left Torrevieja Hospital in recent days, according to sources.
Ribera Group reported to the Torrevieja Civil Guard an alleged theft this week of the company-owned patient management program
The hospital bosses have also confirmed they will continue to seek legal advice against the reversion back to public management because: “it has happened because of an ideology, not by technical or economic criteria.”
The group is happy to go as far as the Supreme Court, stating that the reversal violates the Budget Stability Law , according to a report from the General Audit of Valencia’s own government.
Zafrilla claimed the hospital had delivered the best health department to the Valencian government, with 117 million euros worth of investment over 15 years – some 37 million more than was agreed.
Regarding healthcare, he said the average wait for surgery was 43 days, compared with the 120 days average in the rest of the Valencian public hospitals.
READ MORE:
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