Miguel Lázaro, the president of the Balearic medical union, says that in other European countries there is a healthcare co-payment for attending hospital emergency departments ‘if you skip out-of-hospital services’. The Balearic government says that this proposal is not on the table. ‘It’s very noticeable, both in terms of the workload and the type of patient who comes in. As the tourist season progresses, the ratio of local patients to tourist patients is reversed,’ says Lara, an emergency doctor who has been working in hospitals in Ibiza and Formentera for two years.
His comments reflect the tourist flows that the Balearics receives from March and April until September and October, with the highest peaks in the floating population (the sum of the local and visiting population) in July and August. ‘We have to do more with the same resources,’ says Miguel Lázaro, president of the Balearic Medical Union (SIMEBAL).
'This is one of the demands repeated every year by all healthcare workers, not just medical staff. The problem is that, according to them, the workload is increasing and healthcare facilities are becoming overwhelmed (especially emergency departments), but staffing levels are not increasing to meet this demand, which is affecting the public service.
‘Patients with minor or serious multiple injuries are starting to arrive, i.e. from traffic accidents that happen every week. This happens both in Formentera and Ibiza. In addition, drug and alcohol poisoning is on the rise,’ says Lara. For his part, the president of the Balearic medical union said that between 450 and 500 emergencies are attended daily at Son Espases Hospital in Mallorca.
During the summer months, according to the figures, the number of patients admitted can exceed fifty, and the wait to be admitted to the ward ranges from two to three days. Son Llàtzer, also located in Palma, the situation is no better: there is an average of 300 emergencies per day and a wait of one to three days for admission to the ward. Simebal claims that ‘between 40% and 50% of the emergencies we attend are minor emergencies’.