Ceuta: 200 daily cases and stretched nurses get no backup
200 daily cases of gastroenteritis and scabies in Ceuta, Spain, with too few staff. The standoff between the central and local governments leaves nurses without reinforcements.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Healthcare in Ceuta is overwhelmed: 200 daily cases and no relief for nurses
Nurses in Ceuta, a Spanish city on the North African coast, handle more than 200 emergency cases every day linked to overcrowding-related illnesses: gastroenteritis, scabies, impetigo and tuberculosis. The city's Nursing Association says staff cannot cope and shifts are being doubled with no reinforcements. The humanitarian crisis on the beaches, with makeshift settlements, has pushed a health system that was already stretched to the limit.
The political row was not long in coming. Some argue the central government is to blame, because healthcare in Ceuta falls under the National Health Management Institute (INGESA), a Spanish state body, rather than a regional authority. On the other side, critics point to municipal management and the lack of planning for migratory pressure as factors that made things worse. In the middle of the fight, one uncomfortable detail: according to published reports, Health Minister Mónica García reportedly turned to private healthcare instead of reinforcing Ceuta's public system.
The scabies outbreak among military personnel deployed in the area, which the Ministry of Defence denies is linked to the humanitarian operation, adds further tension to a situation nobody seems willing to solve. Meanwhile, nurses keep handling 200 cases a day with the same staffing levels. Solidarity, it is worth remembering, also needs resources. In Ceuta, for now, none are arriving.
Nurses in Ceuta, a Spanish city on the North African coast, handle more than 200 emergency cases every day linked to overcrowding-related illnesses: gastroenteritis, scabies, impetigo and tuberculosis. The city's Nursing Association says staff cannot cope and shifts are being doubled with no reinforcements. The humanitarian crisis on the beaches, with makeshift settlements, has pushed a health system that was already stretched to the limit.
The political row was not long in coming. Some argue the central government is to blame, because healthcare in Ceuta falls under the National Health Management Institute (INGESA), a Spanish state body, rather than a regional authority. On the other side, critics point to municipal management and the lack of planning for migratory pressure as factors that made things worse. In the middle of the fight, one uncomfortable detail: according to published reports, Health Minister Mónica García reportedly turned to private healthcare instead of reinforcing Ceuta's public system.
The scabies outbreak among military personnel deployed in the area, which the Ministry of Defence denies is linked to the humanitarian operation, adds further tension to a situation nobody seems willing to solve. Meanwhile, nurses keep handling 200 cases a day with the same staffing levels. Solidarity, it is worth remembering, also needs resources. In Ceuta, for now, none are arriving.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (13 replies).
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