Patients who went to the La Loma health centre on Tuesday seeking emergency medical aid suffered delays of up to 4 hours before they could be treated.
The delays were caused by an especially large influx of patients, caused by the previous day’s closures, 26 and 27 December.
It was something that occurred without the foresight of the reinforcement of personnel in the only 24-hour emergency centre in the city.
According to users, there were only two doctors on duty to take care of emergencies between three in the afternoon and eight in the morning. They were completely overwhelmed by the influx of patients.
The same sources said that there were sufficient admission and nursing staff, but not doctors to meet the demand. Ironically it is this medical centre that continually insists that patients must resolve such emergencies in primary care without resorting to the Torrevieja University Hospital.
Many patients gave up and ended up going to the Hospital, where they faced another delay, while others returned to their homes.
Sources from the health department said that “Torrevieja health centres were because it was a holiday, only La Loma was open as a Continuous Care Point.” The public was informed “by means of informative posters.”
