The opposition as a whole sees a Health budget as “insufficient” that “drags investments behind” due to this year’s low execution

The opposition in the Parliament of Cantabria (PRC, PSOE and Vox) has considered that the budget of the Ministry of Health for 2025 is “insufficient”, mainly in the Cantabrian Health Service (SCS) and Primary Careand with investments that are “dragging behind” due to the low execution this year. This was stated this Thursday by the deputies of the three opposition groups during the parliamentary commission in which the Minister of Health, César Pascual, presented the department’s accounts for 2025, which increased by 6.34% compared to 2024. , almost 73 million more, and which raises the total amount to 1,222.6 million euros.

Pascual has claimed that “never in the history of Cantabria has it been so dedicated to taking care of people”and has detailed that the majority of the Health budget corresponds to the Cantabrian Health Service (SCS) with 1,189.5 million euros, 6.21% more, and the rest, 33.17 million euros, to the Ministry , 11% more. In his speech, he thanked the PRC for its support of the Government’s budget for 2025, facilitating its “arrival to a successful conclusion” and that, “with its contributions and its differential positions”, it has worked on a “consensus” with the PP to ” guarantee governability” because, he added, “we are all aware that the worst scenario for Cantabria is not having budgets.”

IMMOBILIZED BUDGET

Despite this gratitude, the regionalist representative Paula Fernández has criticized the Health accounts because “the paper supports everything and the important thing is not what is budgeted but what is executed and the objectives met” and has denounced that both the Ministry and The SCS now has remnants of more than 60% in investments, which shows that there is a budget for 2024 “immobilized, underutilized, fruitless and inert”.

Fernández has indicated that the regionalists will support Cantabria’s budgets for 2025 “in an act of faith” and, of course, because their “contributions” have been includedamong which he highlighted “important items to undertake the remodeling and construction of new health centers or to help small town councils with rural clinics.”

UNDERFUNDED

For his part, the PSOE parliamentarian and former councilor of the area, Eduardo Pesquera, has denounced that the Health budgets for 2025 “they are insufficient” and “they are not realistic”, with an “underfunded” SCS. “Insufficient, unrealistic, very generic budget, with investments that drag behind and with little ambition and conviction,” Pesquera has described these accounts, in which he has denounced that the counselor’s “new and star” project “does not appear” as It is the high resolution center in Castro Urdiales.

To this, Pascual said that “it is not a question of whether or not the item appears in the budget but rather whether it is done “and we are going to do it,” he assured, and he told the socialists that “You spent eight years budgeting for the Polanco Health Center and it has not been done”.

On the other hand, Pesquera has criticized that all budget items are “generic” so that You can’t “see what’s in there”. “That is its transparency,” criticized the socialist who, like the PRC deputy, lamented that “paper supports everything.”

DEMAND

From Vox, parliamentarian Natividad Pérez has considered the SCS and Primary Care budget “insufficient” “in the face of the increase in demand” and the “difficulties” that exist in what is the “Achilles heel of the system” and that has its effect on “the pressure in emergencies and hospitals.” He has also considered “insufficient” the increase in the allocation for mental health programs, which “must be a priority” and has called on Pascual for “less reactivity and more proactivity” in this area.

To this end, the counselor has indicated that a mental health plan is being developed and the Suicide Prevention Plan has already been prepared and, based on it, he has announced that “they have taken us as references in the Ministry for the preparation of the National Plan”.

On the other hand, the Vox deputy has criticized that the “large investments go to proton therapy and the demolition of the Residence and not to the reform and maintenance of health centers and hospitals, with many obsolete facilities and outdated equipment.”