The spokesperson for Health in Compromís, and member of the House of Representatives, Carles Esteve, has denounced that the holiday reinforcement plan presented by the now PP-run Valencia Region’s Ministry of Health means 2,500 less staff hired than in 2023, “despite the fact that they have tried to manipulate the figures to hide it”.
Compromís reports that once again “Minister Marciano Gómez has tried to deceive the public with the presentation of this plan, but the numbers reveal the reality”. In 2023, 7,585 new reinforcement contracts were made for the four summer months. This year, it announces 8,600, but the trap, as reported in The Leader last week, is that the department headed by Gómez includes, as if they were summer reinforcements, the 3,500 places from the reversions in Dénia and Manises hospitals, which are staff who already worked in the Valencian health system. Thus, the reality is that by the summer of 2024, just over 5,000 contracts will be signed, which is 2,500 less than last year.
According to Esteve “as much as the councillor manipulates the numbers trying to make people believe that his plan represents a budget increase compared to last year, the reality is that, in terms of budget, what the Ministry of Health has just done is, taking into account the duration of the plan, cut 3.5 million euro in health reinforcement every month. What this means is that the Valencian healthcare system during the summer, when all the tourism arrives, will have 2,500 fewer people working in healthcare”.
The Compromís parliamentarian points out that, “in addition, Gómez presented this plan barely 3 days before the start of recruitment, which means that neither unions nor anyone will be able to make contributions to him because he did not give time. As always, at the last minute, late and bad, he presents a plan that cuts investment and cuts especially professionals”.
“For the first time, Sanitat will be able to carry out forced transfers of health personnel during the summer months thanks to the macroareas decree that it approved in January. At the moment it has not explained who it will affect, under what conditions, or the criteria it will use to do so. What is certain is that, with just three days to spare, these decisions will not be agreed upon with the unions or the staff,” concluded Esteve.
