From the closure of Son Dureta to Covid: a quarter of a century of Balearic healthcare

PalmOver the past 25 years, the public health system of the Balearic Islands has undergone a profound transformation marked by the construction of new hospitals and the closure of old ones. Son DuretaTechnological modernization and the brutal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic have shaped the Balearic healthcare system since the late 1990s. For decades, Son Dureta Hospital (opened in 1955 as the Virgen de Lluc Health Residence) was the island's main referral center. However, over time its facilities became outdated, and in the early 2000s, with the People's Party (PP) in power, the political decision was made to build a new main referral hospital, Son Espases, disregarding the previous agreement of the Pact for Progress with the national government to renovate the old hospital's facilities. The process culminated in January 2012. when the definitive closure of Son Dureta was certified After the transfer of all services to Son Espases.

The decade of new hospitals

Population growth in Mallorca and capacity shortages at Son Dureta Hospital necessitated the planning of a new hospital network. Thus, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, territorial decentralization was promoted. The Manacor Hospital opened in April 1997, following public pressure demanding the opening of a second hospital in Mallorca. These mobilizations included the historic demonstration of October 1987, which drew over 11,000 people. In December 2001, Son Llàtzer Hospital, initially known as Palma II, opened. The press at the time hailed it as a "pioneer in Europe." Its opening included the implementation of a computer system connecting all departments of the hospital.

Six years later, in February 2007, the Inca Regional Hospital opened to strengthen healthcare in the rural areas of northern and central Mallorca. The 1987 healthcare plan already called for the construction of a hospital in the Raiguer region. During these 20 years, the public, led by the Pro-Hospital Platform, repeatedly raised their voices to make this project a reality. Meanwhile, Menorca has the Mateu Orfila General Hospital, built between 2004 and 2006, which replaced the outdated Virgen del Toro Hospital. In Ibiza, the new Can Misses Hospital opened in 2015, replacing the old center of the same name, inaugurated in 1985. The new referral center

On October 10, 2010, the work of They are swordsThe new hospital, the largest healthcare project in the Balearic Islands, will be handed over to IB-Salut (the Balearic Islands Health Service). It cost €235 million and occupies an area approximately two and a half times larger than Son Dureta Hospital. The gradual transfer of units from Son Dureta began in November, a process that lasted more than a year. The new hospital—equipped with cutting-edge technology, large surgical suites, and state-of-the-art equipment—became the Balearic Islands' leading healthcare center and the largest healthcare infrastructure built in the islands.

The awarding and construction of Son Espases were the subject of a judicial investigation that ended with the conviction of the then Prime Minister, Jaume MatasThe Minister of Health, Aina Castillo; the Director General of IB-Salut, Sergi Beltran; and the consultant Jesús Peinado. Matas was convicted of repeated malfeasance, inducing fraud against the Administration, and influence peddling. When the Supreme Court upheld the conviction, it concluded that Matas had exerted "moral and hierarchical pressure" on Castillo and Beltran with the aim of favoring a specific company.

The pandemic

From the beginning of 2020, COVID-19 shook the entire healthcare system. Hospitals in the Canary Islands reorganized entire wards and working methods to cope with the avalanche of COVID patients. The person who led the pandemic response in the Islands, Patricia GómezGómez explains to ARA Baleares that the moment of greatest anguish came in the winter of 2021, with ICUs full in Ibiza and Formentera. Ultimately, only one patient was transferred in Mallorca, but that episode generated extreme concern. Gómez also recalls, as one of the hardest episodes, the deaths of people who had to spend their last days alone, in addition to the daily death toll that dictated the management of the crisis. All of this, she adds, while the Health Department was making very difficult decisions with a strong economic impact, such as the closure of businesses, with the conviction, "shared with the president" Francina Armengol", that lives had to be saved first so that the economy could be recovered later.

The post-pandemic stage

Following the pandemic, a period of recovery and strengthening of the healthcare network has begun, but structural deficiencies have also become evident, such as the lack of professionals and the resulting saturation of the healthcare system, both public and private. The president of the College of Physicians, Carles Recasens, also points out that "there has been a decline in health, not only directly resulting from COVID-19, but also related to the pandemic of mental illness."

According to him, the post-pandemic era is marked by "polarization, extremism, and increased tension," a tension that also extends to consultations and emergency services. Recasens also points out that the emergence of artificial intelligence has transformed the healthcare landscape. "Not only because of the tools doctors can use, but also because AI can often influence people, and when they arrive at the hospital, they are overwhelmed with information," he comments. In recent times, social media has also given more visibility to denialist, anti-scientific, and anti-science movements. "Although they are a minority, they make a lot of noise on social media and put public health at risk," warns Carles Recasens. Faced with this phenomenon, the scientific community can only respond with "scientific evidence, reason, and common sense."