Tuberculosis, scabies, chickenpox, gastroenteritis… The health crisis in Ceuta seems to worsen sine die given the inaction of the Minister of Health, Mónica García, and therefore of the Executive. Because the collapse in medical and hospital centers is compounded by immigrants’ fear of being identifiedwhich causes the majority of them not to follow the treatments.
An extreme situation to which we must add the burnout of health personnel, saturated emergencies, increase in infectious outbreaksthe lack of essential medicines and the difficulties in vaccinating immigrants, as they are not registered and live overcrowded on the streets. Not to mention Mónica García’s efforts to avoid responsibilitieschest out for his management and point out that there is a simple “care tension.” Neither saturated emergencies nor collapse in hospitals, what Ceuta is experiencing, according to the head of Health, is merely a “tense situation.”
An unflattering outlook that raises many questions. Or at least that is what the main opposition party has thought, which has registered more than 60 questions in the Upper House. And all of them addressed to the same interlocutor: the Minister of Health.
Doctors and nurses “xenophobic?”
From the PP they want to know if García would label the health professionals who publicly warned about healthcare pressure and epidemiological risks as “xenophobic” or “alarmists.” Because we must remember that the leader of Más Madrid assured that linking the arrival of migrants with the spread of diseases Not only was it “alarmist and false” but it responded to “xenophobic” attitudes.
The lack of information and the opacity of the Executive with the population of Ceutais also the object of “study” for the popular ones, who use irony to rebuke the minister and ask her, in passing, if it would not be better to provide concrete solutions, with data and epidemiological information, instead of so much talk. Thus, they are interested in “the actions that the Ministry of Health has developed, specifically aimed at informing the people of Ceuta about the existing risks”, as well as the measures adopted to protect their health.
However, beyond the political clash and the exchange of statements, Alberto Núñez Feijóo’s formation emphasizes the infectious outbreaks that emerged after the avalanche of immigrants arriving in Ceuta on July 30 and 31. “”How many cases of tuberculosis, scabies or scabies, gastroenteritis, impetigo and other diseases transmissible have been diagnosed by the health services of the National Institute of Health Management (INGESA) in Ceuta since July 30 and How many are currently under treatment or health monitoring??
Opacity and lies of Mónica García
It was the doctors of the autonomous city who launched the first serious warnings about the imminent risk of infectious outbreaks due to overcrowding and poor hygienic conditions. Days later, the first cases emerged among the soldiers displaced to the area. Complaints that fell on deaf ears again before a minister who denied the majority and assured that “the epidemiological risk for the Ceuta population was low”. For this reason, the PP wants to know what data or reports Mónica García was handling at that time to ignore the professionals.
For this reason, they question the head of Health about the specific date on which the first case of outbreak or communicable disease occurred among those treated, what follow-up has been done on the cases of tuberculosis detected, if an investigation and contact tracing was carried out and if “from Health have requested support from the Health Alerts and Emergencies Coordination Centerto the Carlos III Health Institute, to the National Epidemiology Center and to other organizations specialized in these matters. If yes, on what dates and on what specific actions? If not, the reasons why it has not been done.
Along these lines, it also puts on the table and questions the shortage of medicines, vaccines, treatments for infectious diseases, protective materials or health products, as well as the number of additional professionals who were mobilized. “Did the Ministry of Health activate or request cooperation mechanisms with other autonomous communities to have health professionals, specialists in epidemiology, diagnostic means, hospital capacity or other reinforcement resources for Ceuta?”
Because, with reality in hand, the Executive has not responded to any of these questions. It is also not known “what identification, diagnosis, treatment and isolation measures, where appropriateand contact investigation is applying Health to cases of tuberculosis, scabies and other communicable diseases detected” or, most importantly: “Does Health have a specific contingency plan for face a new massive arrival of people to Ceuta?