Health denies the health collapse in Ceuta and attributes it to a humanitarian crisis

The Minister of Health, Mónica García, denied this Sunday that Ceuta is suffering a health collapse after the massive arrival of migrants recorded at the end of July, although she has recognized that there are "especially stressed" areas such as the Emergency Room, Internal Medicine or the surgical floors. Faced with the PP's request to declare a health emergency, the head of Health has established a clear distinction between three realities that, in her opinion, should not be confused: "There is no health collapse. Is there a humanitarian crisis? Yes. Is there a risk to public health right now derived from overcrowding of people? Yes."

After meeting with the president of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, García provided the balance of the care deployment: in the last 15 days a total of 5,800 migrants have been treated, of which 3,500 have been referred to the Primary Care network and 2,300 to the University Hospital. Although the day with the greatest pressure recorded 1,149 attendances in 24 hours, the curve has reduced by 70% to stabilize at a daily average of between 200 and 400 attendances.

Currently, the University Hospital has 101 people admitted out of an expanded capacity of 200 beds, of which only 28 are migrants. Health classifies the situation as Level 1 of the INGESA Disaster Guide, which has made it possible to maintain differentiated circuits to guarantee that “no consultation, surgery or scheduled assistance for the Ceuta population has been suspended.”

García has located precisely in these figures the border between tension and irreversible saturation. “There are places in our health system that are stressed, of course,” he admitted, to emphasize that containment has been possible “thanks to the overexertion of professionals.” As proof that the system retains the capacity to respond, the minister has highlighted that the vacations of health personnel have not had to be revoked, unlike what is provided for members of the Army or the Civil Guard, nor has assistance been requested from other autonomous communities.

Likewise, he has warned that describing the situation as a “collapse” carries an alarmist message that may discourage some Ceuta patients from going to their medical center due to the false belief that they will not be able to be treated.

The optimistic vision of the Ministry contrasts with the seriousness transmitted by the Autonomous City. During the meeting held at the Assembly headquarters, the president of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, called on the minister to meet the demands of the local health community and warned that the region is going through an “exceptionally critical” situation that has “radically” altered normality.

As reported by the regional Executive, Vivas has conveyed to the head of Health the emotional and social impact of the crisis, ensuring that the population lives "overwhelmed, with their soul in suspense", before condensing his diagnosis in a forceful phrase: "Ceuta is in danger." Given this scenario, the local government will hold an extraordinary Government Council this Monday first thing in the morning to evaluate the situation - when three weeks of the massive jump are about to be completed - and adopt the pertinent measures.

Despite the clash of diagnoses, the most urgent problem coincides with placing it outside the medical walls. “The most urgent health action is to provide healthy conditions for migrants,” García reiterated, who has classified the epidemiological risk for newly arrived people as “moderate” and as “low” for the city's residents. For this reason, the Ministry has once again formally requested from the Autonomous City the transfer of plots and safe facilities to house those who remain on public roads.

This transfer will ensure drinking water, hygiene, food and isolation, facilitating epidemiological control and early detection of diseases. Health has already detected 18 cases of gastroenteritis among migrants and has coordinated screening tests (mantoux) to rule out tuberculosis processes. García has insisted that the current risk for residents is low and care remains in the ordinary circuits.

The discrepancy with the PP is thus situated in the diagnosis and in the response, extending to the level of national political confrontation. While the popular ones demand to declare a health emergency and reinforce the resources in the hospital - and even their national spokesperson, Elías Bendodo, has gone so far as to request the resignation of the minister for the management of the crisis -, García maintains that the emergency is not resolved between medical walls: "Indeed, the problem is in the street."

Likewise, the head of Health has wanted to bluntly stop the opposition's discourse on the health risks derived from immigration. "Associating immigration with illness is unfair and xenophobic," the minister censured, going on to highlight that "migrants do not bring illnesses; they can become ill, but they do not bring illnesses."

To reinforce this field work, the Ministry has mobilized preventive medicine resources and will transfer resources from the Center for the Coordination of Health Alerts and Emergencies (CCAES) to monitor infectious diseases. The Government's response does not currently contemplate the forced transfer of professionals from other communities or the suspension of vacations for local staff, understanding that the available resources allow hospital care to be sustained while public health efforts are concentrated on the ground.