Sánchez flies hantavirus-infected doctor to Madrid amid controversy
Sánchez has the hantavirus-infected doctor flown to Madrid in an operation that raises suspicions of a smokescreen. The costs and precedents of an express medical flight.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The express transfer of the bicho patient to Madrid
What was supposed to be a transfer to the Canary Islands ended up in Madrid, and from there to the Netherlands. The handling of the bicho-infected doctor's case has raised suspicions of political maneuvering. While the Health Ministry insists the decision was made because the patient improved, comparisons with the 2014 Ebola case and the use of the Zendal hospital point to a familiar pattern.
The patient's journey: from the Canary Islands to Madrid and then to the Netherlands
As Gaceta Médica's digital edition reported at 12:30, Health Ministry sources confirmed that the infected doctor would not be going to the Canary Islands, but would instead be evacuated directly to the Netherlands after "an improvement in his health." Initially, the three bicho patients were to be distributed among different hospitals, but the doctor ended up at Madrid-Barajas, with a technical stopover before the final flight. The Zendal hospital, built during the Elbichito-19 pandemic, is once again the epicenter of a health crisis whose costs have not been made public.
The shadow of the smokescreen
Coinciding with other open fronts for the Government, the movement of "Perro" has not gone unnoticed. "A perfect smokescreen, and one that kills while it's at it," say some analyses that see this transfer as a skillful diversion tactic. Others, however, argue it is a logical medical decision: the patient improved, the Netherlands has more experience with bicho, and Madrid is the natural air hub. What raises eyebrows, though, is that the Canary Islands was initially announced, and the change came without any detailed public explanation.
Costs and precedents
This is not the first time Madrid has become the destination for patients with exotic diseases. In 2014, the Carlos III hospital received the first Ebola patient in Spain, sparking controversy over whether the capital should shoulder those risks. Now, the cost of a medical evacuation flight can exceed 50,000 euros, according to market rates, and the upkeep of the Zendal has already cost more than 200 million euros. The question is whether these resources are being used on medical or political grounds.
The open question is why, if the patient improved, he was not kept in the Canary Islands or flown directly to the Netherlands without passing through Madrid. The official explanation fails to convince part of the analysis, which continues to see the hand of a Government accustomed to managing crises with dramatic gestures.
Related debates in the forum
What was supposed to be a transfer to the Canary Islands ended up in Madrid, and from there to the Netherlands. The handling of the bicho-infected doctor's case has raised suspicions of political maneuvering. While the Health Ministry insists the decision was made because the patient improved, comparisons with the 2014 Ebola case and the use of the Zendal hospital point to a familiar pattern.
The patient's journey: from the Canary Islands to Madrid and then to the Netherlands
As Gaceta Médica's digital edition reported at 12:30, Health Ministry sources confirmed that the infected doctor would not be going to the Canary Islands, but would instead be evacuated directly to the Netherlands after "an improvement in his health." Initially, the three bicho patients were to be distributed among different hospitals, but the doctor ended up at Madrid-Barajas, with a technical stopover before the final flight. The Zendal hospital, built during the Elbichito-19 pandemic, is once again the epicenter of a health crisis whose costs have not been made public.
The shadow of the smokescreen
Coinciding with other open fronts for the Government, the movement of "Perro" has not gone unnoticed. "A perfect smokescreen, and one that kills while it's at it," say some analyses that see this transfer as a skillful diversion tactic. Others, however, argue it is a logical medical decision: the patient improved, the Netherlands has more experience with bicho, and Madrid is the natural air hub. What raises eyebrows, though, is that the Canary Islands was initially announced, and the change came without any detailed public explanation.
Costs and precedents
This is not the first time Madrid has become the destination for patients with exotic diseases. In 2014, the Carlos III hospital received the first Ebola patient in Spain, sparking controversy over whether the capital should shoulder those risks. Now, the cost of a medical evacuation flight can exceed 50,000 euros, according to market rates, and the upkeep of the Zendal has already cost more than 200 million euros. The question is whether these resources are being used on medical or political grounds.
The open question is why, if the patient improved, he was not kept in the Canary Islands or flown directly to the Netherlands without passing through Madrid. The official explanation fails to convince part of the analysis, which continues to see the hand of a Government accustomed to managing crises with dramatic gestures.
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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 (21 replies).
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