San Sebastián, Oct 9 (EFE).- The Roundtable for the Basque Health Pact has reached this Wednesday a “general consensus” on the diagnosis of the Basque health system, with some “qualifications”, since some participants have demanded more time to be able to contrast the document and present new contributions.
General consensus
The Minister of Health, Alberto Martínez, made this announcement at the end of the meeting of the Table for the Pact for Health that was held for four hours in San Sebastián and which, as he pointed out, took place in an environment “ cordial and pleasant.”
Martínez explained that some of the participants have asked for time to compare the document with their organizations, after which they will have until Friday of next week to make new contributions to this diagnosis, which aims to be a snapshot of the current situation. of Basque public health.
Pact for Health
The counselor has specified that the participants in this forum have decided to finalize this first phase of the diagnosis for next October 30, when the next meeting of the Board will take place in Vitoria in which the second phase will be addressed to achieve the Health Pact, that is, that of “the principles”.
This responds to the fact that the work to achieve the Pact for Health, promoted by the Lehendakari, Imanol Pradales, has been planned in four phases: diagnosis, principles, strategy and governance.
Individual vote
However, after each phase, the participant who does not share the document will not be in the following ones, although if it is a specific disagreement they may cast a private vote on that point and continue in the phase.
At the end of today’s meeting, the counselor expressed his satisfaction with the broad consensus that, as he explained, has been achieved in the second meeting of the Board and has thanked the involvement of all the agents, whose contributions amount to “much more of a thousand pages.”
Finally, the summary diagnosis prepared by the Basque Government, enriched with these contributions, has been presented in the session by the doctor of Medicine and professor of Pharmacology at the UPV/EHU, Javier Meana, coordinator of the work of the Table.
Meana has detailed the main aspects of the thirty-page document in which seven specific aspects are analyzed: demographic diagnosis; morbidity and mortality; social determinants and lifestyles; healthcare resources and use; social and technological context; economic resources, and experience of citizens.
Analyze and contrast
At the end of the meeting, representatives of EH Bildu and Sumar explained to the journalists that they needed more time to analyze and contrast a document of this significance.
On the other hand, the general secretary of the SATSE nursing union, Amaia Mayor, has expressed the opinion that the meeting has been “satisfactory” and that the document represents a “base” to advance towards other “more difficult” phases in which it will be necessary to address “cornerstones” related to human resources or the care model.
Pedro Carrasacal, director of the platform of patient organizations, has also expressed, in broad strokes, his satisfaction with the document, to which they will make “small nuances”, but which includes fundamental parts of their “sensitivities”.
Strong public healthcare system
Regarding the unions, LAB has criticized that the document does not include their contributions since “it does not explain that the objective is the achievement of a strong public health system.”
UGT, on the contrary, has assessed the diagnosis and sees the implementation of the next phase as “fundamental” to solve the problems detected in the Basque Health Service.
theatrical work
The most critical reading of the document has come from ELA, a union that is not on the Board, which has criticized that the diagnosis does not explain “the causes of the deterioration” of Osakidetza and has reiterated that participating in this Health Pact means “being part of a theatrical work that does not imply any substantial change.”
For now, the third meeting of the Board, after those held in Bilbao and San Sebastián, will begin on October 30 in Vitoria the second phase of the process in which the principles on which the strategies will pivot to move towards a “more proactive, preventive, integrated and community health system,” the Department of Health reported in a statement. EFE