Nationalization and medicalization of nursing homes
- Deaths in nursing homes have not been a coincidence; they have not occurred because the elderly are more vulnerable. They have died because these residences are not prepared to deal with health problems, let alone deal with a pandemic.
There is no official data on the tragedy suffered in nursing homes as a result of this unfortunate pandemic. Until May 3, according to data provided by the autonomous communities of the Spanish State, more than 15,300 people have died in public and private centers for the care of the elderly. One part is from Hego Euskal Herria. These deaths have not been by chance, they have not been caused by the fact that the elderly are more vulnerable. They have died because these residences are not prepared to deal with health problems, let alone deal with a pandemic. Most are not medicalized. Therefore, managers have “defended” saying that they care for these people but that they are not “hospitals”.
Who are these managers? According to 2018 data, Senior Citizens’ Centres charge more than €4.5 billion through venture capital funds. Operating income ranges from 20% to 25%, and some reach 50%, according to specialist consultancy Angomed. It is known that between EUR 1,300 and EUR 3,000 per resident per month are charged.
Conclusion: the privatisation of nursing homes must be neglected, as large funds have served to make big profits. Therefore, it is necessary to nationalize the headquarters in order to enable daily control of the management and the proper use of public resources. The most urgent thing that should be done is to medicalize all of them. That is, medical care 24 hours a day in each residence.
Our seniors deserve the best care and care. And the public authorities know where to find the economic resources. Among other things, they can put aside the millionaire military spending and the Pharaonic works such as the TAV and, by the way, create decent employment.
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