wish we were apples | Rota al día, Rota’s digital newspaper

I spent about a month in three different accommodations in Belgium this year. I went to hospitals in Bruges and Ostend every day during my stay in the country and for unrelated reasons. Last week I came into contact with the Spanish public health system, namely the Andalusian Health Service, with which I have, by chance, had little contact so far in the incarnation of the Puerto Real University Hospital. Of course, I started making comparisons.

The first thing that catches your eye is the cleanliness of the environment. In Belgian hospitals, the areas near the entrance were almost as clean as the interiors. On the other hand, the surroundings of the Puerto Real building attract pork, among other things, due to the fact that the number of people who smoke is ten times higher. Of course, this is not something we should blame the health authorities for, traditional Spanish incivism (I was going to write “Andalusian incivism” but I’m afraid it’s something that happens in all autonomies, including the most centrifugal ones). In Spain filth is immoral. In general, as a country becomes more prosperous, its streets become cleaner. I guess we are the exception to the rule. This filth turns into something almost supernatural in the cafeteria of the Puerto Real health center. The outdoor terrace might be one of the dirtiest places I can remember, with a few centimeters of bird droppings on the ground; Such an explosion of filth is happening in a hospital – now yes – I would say that it is not only the responsibility of some scabies-loving users, but also the responsibility of the hospital management, even though the cafeteria belongs to a contract.

What struck me the most in Belgium was the low number of people passing through the hospital. I asked myself if there were any patients here. And the rules for visitors there weren’t so strict as those here were much stricter, so instead I ended up assuming the health services were less crowded there. Because Puerto Real fair will definitely be less crowded than Puerto Real hospital. The noise, traffic and incredible queues at the gates to access consultations from outside is worthy of a Kuala Lumpur flea market. In general, if they’d blindfolded us before entering and opened it once inside and asked us where are you, we would have answered “at the airport”. It’s an old airport, of course, but the noise of people going from place to place with suitcases was the same.

The two hospitals I visited in Belgium were new, almost brand new. Somewhere between Bauhaus and Ikea it’s a bit tacky but beautiful. In Puerto Real… Well, it’s showing a lot of deterioration in Puerto Real. To give an example: Often the rooms of inpatients cannot be closed, causing great discomfort for patients having to endure the noise and the light in the hallway all night. Thinking that a hospital has doors that don’t close because of age can be a good topic to meditate on when we drink too much. I cannot find any other virtue. Otherwise, signs of decline are plentiful. I suspect some of the details that caught my eye – and the mention of the toilets – are the lack of equipment. It doesn’t seem like a serious matter if the team isn’t the best at a nightclub. in the hospital yes

The administrative and organizational issue did not seem very bright to me on either side, and I do not dare to comment on the medical effectiveness of either side, as I am not well-informed on the subject. The only thing I can guarantee it’s better here than in Belgium is the customer service or what we might call the treatment. In Belgium, staff, almost as a rule, have an intense dislike and are as rude as a Burgos singing martinetes, especially – as in my case – if you try to communicate in French in the Flemish part of the country: linguistic tensions there are higher than in the normal ones that might be present in Catalonia. On the other hand, in Puerto Real all the staff are racing to see who is more courteous, friendly or helpful. Truth be told, without such good staff, the Universitario Portoreal Hospital would have looked like an extremely depressing place and would border on sinister.

I don’t want to go too deep. But it is clear to me that the Andalusian Health Service is heading towards an absolutely catastrophe. If the healthcare system in Madrid, which is now much talked about, is even worse than in Andalusia, there is mass suicide or almost causes there. Although this is what they want. In Madrid, where public health is very poor, the proportion of citizens taking out private insurance policies is almost 40%, more than double the national average. I feel they have set themselves the same goal in Andalusian health care, all gods are switching to private health care. The main difference I can think of is that the people of Madrid are much richer than Andalusians and maybe they can afford it. Andalusians find this more complicated.

But hey, it’s so calm. It’s as healthy as an apple.