Aimed at avoiding overtime and holiday pay
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| Punta de Europa Hospital |
ALGECIRAS -- The Andalucía Health Service (SAS, Servicio Andaluz de Salud) has decided yet again to close the Trauma Unit at the Punta de Europa Hospital over the holidays -- from December 20 to January 9 -- ostensibly because there is usually little activity during this period. On enquiry, the district authorities (Área de Gestión Sanitaria del Campo de Gibraltar) pointed out that other units will be reinforced and beds will be reserved for use if necessary.
The CSIF union raised the alarm over the temporary closure, declaring that it rejected the measure that will lose 27 of the available beds. It pointed out that patients and staff will be transferred to the Surgery Department. This was rejected out of hand two years ago as the result of adverse reports from the Preventative Medicine that pointed out the 'potential risks' possible when two separate services were brought together on the same floor. Now, says the union, the decision is 'imposed' on them.
