The Coordinator in Defense of Public Health of Mataró and Maresme denounces that there has been a lack of communication and transparency in the announcement of the closure of the Old Hospital of Sant Jaume and Santa Magdalena and the transfer of the places to other centers. The building suffers from deficiencies but it has been ruled out to resolve them because the new intermediate care hospital is scheduled to come into operation in 2027, which will require the transfer of the current 76 places to other centers. However, the group assures that the information has not been transferred to them in the proper manner, and that it will have negative consequences for both patients and professionals.
In a statement, the coordinator points out that while the new center does not come into operation, patients will have to be referred to the Hospital de la Esperanza in Barcelona, ??an hour away that eliminates the model of comprehensive care and personality that keeps the patient close to their family. . Other patients will be transferred to the Mataró Hospital, which according to the group does not have sufficient infrastructure and is underfunded: “We wonder if ICU beds will be sacrificed to house these beds and if waiting lists will be lengthened,” they point out. a statement, which, they highlight, will lead to a saturation of services.
Along these lines, they wonder what is going to happen to the 150 workers at the Sant Jaume and Santa Magdalena Hospital and whether they will be relocated to the Mataró Hospital: “and what is going to happen to the staff who work at the Mataró Hospital who do not “It’s structural, will he be fired?” As for patients with a socio-health profile, they also wonder what resources and safety will be used to replace their hospitalization with home care.
For all these reasons, they demand an urgent meeting with the management of the Health Department of the northern metropolitan region, as well as with the manager of the Consorci Sanitari del Maresme and the Health Councilor of the Mataró City Council, as well as maintaining the operation of the Sant Jaime and Santa Magdalena with the necessary sanitary measures. Furthermore, they highlight that it is necessary not to use facilities in the Mataró Hospital that involve displacing patients from other services or service portfolio, as well as maintaining current staff in the center.
They also demand from the future Health Minister and the Parliament that a new intermediate care hospital be launched as quickly as possible in Maresme. They also highlight the need to create citizen participation organizations to define the health care model in the region.
