Far from improving, the endemic lack of doctors in La Rioja that worsens in summer will almost certainly worsen this year. This is predicted by the unions in the region who believe that the current situation is a consequence of poor management and … above all, a lack of foresight despite the warnings that the union centers have been giving for years.
Ángel Laspeñas, CSIF-Rioja health delegate, criticized precisely this inability to anticipate: “It is an absolute lack of foresight on the part of Primary Care management and is the result of having ignored everything that was known.” In June “you cannot ask for miracle solutions”, when the problems of lack of doctors who will be absent for vacation will begin in July or even earlier.
Laspeñas recalled that a year ago the Primary Care doctors and pediatricians called a strike that was only supported by CSIF and he himself handed over the demands to the new management. “A year has passed and no results have been seen,” he added.
Regarding this summer, he warned that the consequences will be worse than other years. “Consultations will be closed because there are no people to cover them,” but above all they will be more palpable in basic areas such as Haro, which covers municipalities such as Casalarreina, Cuzcurrita, Treviana, Rodezno, San Asensio or Briones, among others, where there should be 6 or 7 reinforcements of family doctors, which are personnel who cover on-call and vacations, and in reality there are 3,” he explained. And he added: “For the counselor it seems that all the solutions go through the Interterritorial Council, but from here things can also be done that involve improving the working conditions of those who are there so that people come to work and do not leave.”
Maite Gómez, from UGT, agreed on the lack of foresight and the poor management of resources that lead to thinking that the situation of previous summers will be repeated. In fact, “nurses have already been given the possibility of voluntarily working on call,” she said.
«Seris has been working since May with the different areas in planning assistance during the months of June to September»
The basic problem, he said, is that there are not enough personnel. “They should try to get nursing professionals to stay in La Rioja, but there is a lack of complete management.” Gómez recalled that two or three years ago UGT signed an agreement to try to improve Primary Care in which it was stated that they could do a voluntary day outside their usual day by accumulating quotas and “we don’t know how it is being carried out.”
In his opinion, it is almost certain that there will be closures, “but if it were managed well and spoken clearly, perhaps no office would have to close.”
Guarantee assistance
The Ministry pointed out in this regard that “Seris has been working with the different areas since May in planning care, like every year, during the months of June, July, August and September, taking into account the vacations of health professionals.” and reorganizing existing resources. And all this, in order to “guarantee health care and offer the best possible care to both the people of Rioja and the people who travel to La Rioja on these dates, taking into account the greater or lesser tourist influx on both occasions.” zones.
