The mayor of the Alicante municipality has met with Francisco Ponce, director of the SMS, because the Torrevieja hospital is too far
The residents of Pilar de la Horadada, the Alicante municipality that borders San Pedro del Pinatar, are closer to being able to count on health care at the Los Arcos del Mar Menor hospital. The mayor of Pilar, José María Pérez, and the Councilor for Health, Nieves Moreno, met in recent weeks with the director general of the Murcian Health Service, Francisco Ponce, to express their wishes and hear his opinion on the matter. However, the last word to start this procedure is held by the Valencian Community Health Department, who, as THE TRUTH has learned, has not yet responded to the City Council’s request for a meeting.
seven miles away
The main reason why the residents of Pilar raise the possibility of being treated at the Murcian hospital is the distance. The Los Arcos facilities are 7 kilometers by car from Pilar de la Horadada, while 22 kilometers separate them from their reference hospital, Torrevieja. In a matter of time, they spend an average of 10 minutes to get to Los Arcos, compared to 20 to Torrevieja. An amount that increases during the summer, when traffic on the national highway increases due to the influx of tourists. “It is a matter of distance, not quality, as some media are indicating,” clarified Nieves Moreno, who was in charge of starting this process in 2020, when the hospital was still under the management of Ribera Salud. “The situation has also been transferred to the new manager of Torrevieja and supports us, as well as the director of the Murcian Health Service,” reveals the councilor. Even so, “the ball is in the Ministry’s court” which, on other occasions, has already agreed to this type of agreement. For example, with the La Mancha town of Caudete.
22,000 health cards
From the SMS, they have confirmed that they are waiting for the official request from the Valencian Community, but they have not clarified to this newspaper if the Los Arcos del Mar Menor hospital is prepared to take care of the 22,000 inhabitants of Pilar de la Horadada, in case everyone wants to change. “What we want is for citizens to have a free choice of hospital,” clarifies the mayor of Health. In this way, the neighbors would continue attending the Primary Care centers in their town, although they could, if they want, go to the outpatient clinics and the Murcian hospital emergency room. “And each neighbor would inform their family doctor where they want to be referred to.”
3,000 people from Pilar are already users of the Murcian Health Service
The Alicante municipality of Pilar de la Horadada has around 25,000 inhabitants, of which 22,000 are registered in the Valencian Community and some 3,000 are already users of the Murcian Health Service. According to data from the City Council, those 3,000 people who live in this town are registered in municipalities in the Region of Murcia, such as San Pedro del Pinatar and San Javier. In fact, the residents of the district of El Mojón share streets that are in the middle of the two autonomous communities.
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