Inma Arroyo, a nurse at the Asunción clinic and a member of the workers' committee, does not work at the plant of the COVID-19 positives. He explains to Berria that they lack resources and staff: "We workers are physically and psychologically tired, and our biggest problems are the lack of staff and the lack of resources." As he explained, until this week they have not had FFP2 masks or sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE). “On Thursday they gave us the FFP2 masks, so they can tell us. They masked me and told me: 'I've been told it has to last at least four or five days.' However, Arroyo has issued a warning: “It’s not just a question of the Asunción clinic, it’s something that happens in all hospitals.”

Earlier this week, three doctors and an administrative officer tested positive at the Asunción de Tolosa clinic for COVID-19. Arroyo explained that on Monday a large number of workers were tested and that by the end of the week all workers will be retested. According to his words, on Monday a flat was "confined" in about twelve hours for everyone to go home with PCR and results, but with the rest it did not behave in the same way: “We had to wait until the next day and if it touched you to work, it touched you to work.” In addition to workers, CPA has also been performed on all patients, both on Monday and Friday. ‘I think that is right’.

After knowing the first positive ones, they decided that the patients who are in the clinic should not receive visits. In fact, according to Berria, the management of the clinic has transferred workers who believe that the infections have been caused by the visitors of a patient. Arroyo has also seen the problem in that: ‘They were asked to have a family member, and it is true that this was the case, but for example it was not the same relative as the one in the morning and the one in the evening.’ Seeing that the head of the clinic had a hard time closing the clinic, Osakidetza forced her to close the clinic.

Due to the seriousness of the problem, only emergencies and road accidents will be addressed. “Throughout this bridge, emergencies and hospitalisation facilities will work as usual,” they have reported from the hospital. In addition, in each room there will be only one sick person. Therefore, the patients who are in Asunción will continue there. If someone else has to be hospitalized, he will be transferred to the Bidasoa Hospital in Irun, where he will be admitted.

Another preventive measure is the conduct of a COVID-19 test every seven days to all patients and workers in Asunción. From the hospital they have highlighted that all measures are agreed with the Department of Health of the Basque Government.

Necessity of the public

Asunción is a private clinic, but it offers a public service in Tolosaldea, as it has an agreement with Osakidetza. In municipal votes, the majority of the parties voted in favour of opening a public hospital, together with the PNV. The Town Hall of Tolosa wanted to send a message of tranquillity to the citizens in the face of sexual assault. According to EH Bildu, Parliament's Tolosarra Ibai Iriarte has formally requested information from the Health Advisor of the Basque Government. He added that what happened confirms the opinion of EH Bildu: ‘Public health services cannot remain in private hands’. He also said that health care needs to be improved for the people of Tolosaldea and that it needs to be improved with a public hospital.