Editorial: Better treatment needed

THE Balearic Ib-Salut health service has recently been hit by a  fresh wave of problems, in particular a lack of medical staff in rural surgeries and insufficient funding. For example, Sant Joan de Dios Hospital is not allowed to admit any patients until January because it has gone over budget for this year and, as a result, a number of top doctors, unhappy with the situation, have left and moved to the mainland.
However, any one who has gone through the Ib-Salut experience will know that, despite the cut backs and short comings, the medical staff, on the whole, provide an excellent service which I feel the general public fails to fully appreciate.
Knocking the health service appears to be as popular as it does in the UK, but we could do a lot to help the system run better and save it money.
Every time I have either been in Son Espases or Ib-salut health centres in Palma, nurses appear calling out names to check that they have turned up for the appointment and every time, there are scores of missing people.
At least a week before every appointment Ireceive a text message to remind me and it ends with a number to call if that appointment can not be met. So, why don’t people use it? It would not only free up appointments for people who really need one but also prevent medical staff from wasting their time by being on duty for patients who fail to turn up.