The Emergency helicopter service for the Islands is cut.

[fifi]

It was confirmed last Thursday that the  emergency helicopter service which serves all seven Islands is to be cut. There were previously two helicopters serving the Islands and despite a 35% increase in the demand for the service the Islands will now only have one.

This service is vital for Fuerteventura  and is crucial for stroke victims, and premature births in particular because the Islands hospital does not have the facilities to care for these kind of patients and they need to be flown to Gran Canaria for immediate care.

In the viability plan there is also the possibility of eliminating the one remaining helicopter in the daytime.

Lives will be lost because of this action.

[Brightspark]

I don't know what it is about the Spanish, I really struggle to understand them sometimes.
I totally get that the country is in ruins and money needs to be found from somewhere, but gutting the healthcare for it's people and punishing the people that need assistance the most is crazy.

Yet the country still has 3 police forces of which (as someone has mentioned in the past) the minimum wage in any of the 3 stands at €16,000 per year.

Excellent

[Brightspark]

Slightly off subject but relevant as it must cost a fortune but it makes me laugh just how backwards things here really are.

For instance in my case, our little one as many on here know was born prematurely, so for the first year of her life her care is exclusively done in Gran Canaria as apparently they are the only ones out of the islands who have the specialists and the equipment.

She has to have about 5-6 different check ups for various things, brain - eyes - ears etc.

Due to different departments NOT working on the same days it's very rare that she can have 2 or 3 checkups on the same day, plus with a combination of (some) boneidle receptionists who just refuse to use an ounce of brainpower to put the appointments together on the same day.

So therefore in the course of a month me and the little one could make upto 4 trips to GC.

To make the trip I apply for a "Bono de Social Seguridad" that covers flights for me and the baby, which costs them each day around €80 - €90

How many more people are doing the same thing for care at that cost?
Why isn't each island or at least the main islands equipped with the facilities and specialists needed?
Would it not save a hell of alot of money spending on each islands hospitals instead of having 1 main one?
Would it not make sense to have a hospital that works on the same time and same days?

My god the list is endless.

[SheilaW]

Your story appears to me to be totally "on topic", brightspark.

Why save money by doing something potentially dangerous when you could save money by cutting out real waste? You don't have to be Mastermind to figure out which one to do first, do you? Of course, if you're still bankrupt after shaving off all the dead wood then you'll have to think about this sort of drastic measure. But not now!!!

[Captain Sensible]

The financial cut backs seem to be going on and on.

Lives will be lost

[woe10]

That´s not good. I know people who have had to be flown out to GC for emergency Intensive Car, as they were in Comas after accidents. This is a matter of Life and Death for Fuerteventura.

I hope nobody using the new €295,000 bicycle track never needs this service. 

[Ole Man River]

You're right brightspark. Understanding the Spanish???
We often moan about the Spanish & the way they do things & finish up saying "it must be their culture".
Like us Northern Europeans, where is their logic, common sense, planning/forward thinking, they just don't have it.
Can they ever change the way they do things?
Then there is the "crisis"- how are they going to manage that?