Canarian Weekly
14-12-2012, 14:30
The Tenerife Cabildo continues to stress the need to increase the budgets for the hospitals in the North and South, still believing that there is room for improvement in the Canarian Government’s Draft Budget for 2013, either by way of amendments or other formulas that guarantee more resources.
So said Cabildo Vice President Carlos Alonso, after members of the Standing Committee of the Canarian Coalition decided to endorse the budget, even though the Cabildo has asked the fifteen deputies fromTenerifeto exercise their veto if provisions are not included for the two hospitals.
Alonso made it clear that the possibility to veto the budget is “the last resort” for the Tenerife Cabildo, believing that there is still room for negotiation on the part of theCanary Islands, the parliamentary groups and the Cabildo itself. “There are ways we are putting forward to deal with this issue and we think it likely that the veto will not be necessary,” he said.
Carlos Alonso has admitted that the Canary Islands Health Service (SCS) budget is “highly constrained” by the economic situation and that a priority is to ensure existing welfare levels, but said he also believes that it is a priority to improve the hospital infrastructure in the north and the south of the island.
“Both are priorities and will have to be balanced and we are looking for ways to do it,” the Minister reiterated.
However, the socialist PSC-PSOE has grave doubts regarding the Canarian Government’s commitment to investing in the South hospital, located at El Mojon, just outside Los Cristianos.
Of the three million euros the Canarian Government budgeted for the hospital for 2012, the regional executive has spent just 2,071,819.81 euros this year, 69.06 per cent of the budget, leaving 928,180.19 euros, equivalent to 30.94 per cent, not allocated to the project.
The Socialist Regional Deputy and Mayor of Guía de Isora, Pedro Martin, said that he expects the Health Department will offer appropriate explanations about it in Parliament, responding to the question he asked several weeks ago.
Martin said, “It is very important to be attentive to the execution of this work, because what happened this year cannot be repeated in a work that is so fundamental to the wholeIsland, not just the South”.
The fact that the Canary Islands Government has provided for only 1.5 million euros for this work in the draft budget for 2013, he said, “Is not only insufficient but, de facto, means an indefinite stoppage of works.
“Given all that has happened in the last two years with the South hospital, the PSOE have set realistic goals for the investment of nine million euros over 2013 and 2014”.
While Martin is confident that there will be an increase in the planned investment, the citizen’s Pro Public Hospital Platform is not so sure. Spokesman Jordi Esplugas, restated the “firm decision to demand the remaining sum to complete the hospital is forthcoming in 2013. We will not back down”
More... (http://www.canarianweekly.com/cabildo-piles-pressure-hospital-funding/)
So said Cabildo Vice President Carlos Alonso, after members of the Standing Committee of the Canarian Coalition decided to endorse the budget, even though the Cabildo has asked the fifteen deputies fromTenerifeto exercise their veto if provisions are not included for the two hospitals.
Alonso made it clear that the possibility to veto the budget is “the last resort” for the Tenerife Cabildo, believing that there is still room for negotiation on the part of theCanary Islands, the parliamentary groups and the Cabildo itself. “There are ways we are putting forward to deal with this issue and we think it likely that the veto will not be necessary,” he said.
Carlos Alonso has admitted that the Canary Islands Health Service (SCS) budget is “highly constrained” by the economic situation and that a priority is to ensure existing welfare levels, but said he also believes that it is a priority to improve the hospital infrastructure in the north and the south of the island.
“Both are priorities and will have to be balanced and we are looking for ways to do it,” the Minister reiterated.
However, the socialist PSC-PSOE has grave doubts regarding the Canarian Government’s commitment to investing in the South hospital, located at El Mojon, just outside Los Cristianos.
Of the three million euros the Canarian Government budgeted for the hospital for 2012, the regional executive has spent just 2,071,819.81 euros this year, 69.06 per cent of the budget, leaving 928,180.19 euros, equivalent to 30.94 per cent, not allocated to the project.
The Socialist Regional Deputy and Mayor of Guía de Isora, Pedro Martin, said that he expects the Health Department will offer appropriate explanations about it in Parliament, responding to the question he asked several weeks ago.
Martin said, “It is very important to be attentive to the execution of this work, because what happened this year cannot be repeated in a work that is so fundamental to the wholeIsland, not just the South”.
The fact that the Canary Islands Government has provided for only 1.5 million euros for this work in the draft budget for 2013, he said, “Is not only insufficient but, de facto, means an indefinite stoppage of works.
“Given all that has happened in the last two years with the South hospital, the PSOE have set realistic goals for the investment of nine million euros over 2013 and 2014”.
While Martin is confident that there will be an increase in the planned investment, the citizen’s Pro Public Hospital Platform is not so sure. Spokesman Jordi Esplugas, restated the “firm decision to demand the remaining sum to complete the hospital is forthcoming in 2013. We will not back down”
More... (http://www.canarianweekly.com/cabildo-piles-pressure-hospital-funding/)