According to Spanish press reports, the Ministry of Health has requested that care workers in the Home Care Unit (UHD) of the University Hospital of Torrevieja use their private vehicles to visit patients’ homes when hospital fleet vehicles are unavailable. This request was made without specifying compensation conditions for the use of personal vehicles. However, the Ministry has denied making such a proposal and noted an upcoming organizational meeting with union representatives.
In November 2022, the Ministry of Health invested 635,000 euros in its vehicle fleet, adding twenty-one new cars for health centres and the Home Hospitalisation Unit. Despite increasing the UHD’s vehicles from 6 to 11, this number remains insufficient to meet daily patient care demands.
Many patients needing home care are seriously ill, requiring palliative care or are in the end-of-life phase. Torrevieja’s health-protected population includes over 30% of users aged 65+ and more than 50% foreigners among its 205,000 health cardholders.
The department has been one of the least supported in the Valencian Community since the Generalitat ended its private management contract. In 2021, it conducted 2,184 home care visits, significantly fewer than the 14,000 average in other departments.
This population profile and the growing demand for home visits underline the need for sufficient resources to provide adequate care.
