PSOE denounces the delay in the works of the new health centre in Rincón de Loix

The Socialist Municipal Group has criticised the delay in executing the construction works of the new Rincón de Loix health centre in Benidorm. The socialist spokesperson, Cristina Escoda, regretted that the Minister of Health, Marciano Gómez, did not speak out yesterday, during his visit to the city to present a new medicine dispensing system, on the estimated date of completion of the works and the start-up of this long-awaited new health centre. “It is a shame that the Minister did not report any progress in this regard, we were expecting some announcement. But we also missed yesterday that demanding attitude that the mayor had until May 2023 with the Consell. A mayor who, by the way, was not heard to say a word and, even less, any demand for the work to be finished as soon as possible”, she said.

Escoda explained that, with an initial investment of 4.7 million euros, this new health centre, which will replace the auxiliary clinic in Rincón, began to be built under the government of Ximo Puig in the Generalitat at the end of 2022 on a plot of 3,558 square metres ceded by the city council on Calle Zamora and which will have a constructed area of ​​2,507 square metres distributed over a ground floor and two floors.

Months of paralysis

The spokesperson recalled that work was paralyzed for several months, which led the socialists of Benidorm to denounce the situation in June of last year. Thus, she pointed out that neither the machinery nor a single worker was seen working on the plot for months and that, faced with this situation, "both the local government and the regional government of the PP dedicated themselves to evasive actions, alleging changes in the project or problems with a transformation centre."

Escoda has criticized the fact that, despite all these months of stoppage that have meant a delay in the completion of the work, the president of Ventorro, Carlos Mazón, announced at the end of last August that the health centre was going to be finished before the end of 2024. "With all the shamelessness in the world and playing with the expectations of the residents of Benidorm, Mr Mazón issued a statement in which he was very optimistic about the deadlines for several actions in the field of primary care and assured that it would be built before 2025," he said.

Public Health Degradation

The socialist leader has regretted that public health is once again at the back of the list of priorities of the Generalitat under the Mazón government, which has “skyrocketed” waiting lists in Valencian hospitals. In this sense, she has criticised not only the delay in the works at Rincón but also the fact that the much-demanded Els Tolls health centre is not a priority for the Ministry of Health. “Mazón brought back Marciano Gómez as Minister of Health, the architect of the privatisation of hospitals with Zaplana, and in this year and a half of legislature we are already suffering the deterioration of public health both in the city and in the region,” she said.