Costa Blanca

Alicante health centres are restricting phone appointments

Phone medical care was promoted during the pandemic to conduct pre-screenings for coronavirus cases and provide information about the disease. It subsequently became established as a useful tool to expedite consultations that did not require in-person visits and to relieve congestion in overcrowded health centres. However, in recent weeks, some patients have encountered difficulties requesting a telephone appointment through the Ministry of Health’s app, GVA SALUT+, as this option is not available in some health centres, leaving only an in-person choice.

The regional government explains that this is because telephone consultations may experience “long delays” due to congestion, but denies that this option has been eliminated in any health area. In cases where telephone appointments are not available on the app, patients who wish to be seen by their primary care physician by phone must request it directly from the admission staff at their reference health centre, according to healthcare professionals consulted by this newspaper.

Medical sources explain that in some health centres, telephone appointments have been restricted to certain professionals due to their widespread use and the “frequent” lack of response from some patients when the doctor called. This situation especially affects people who study or work outside their city of origin and cannot attend their health centre in person.

Affected People

“I always made a telephone appointment with my doctor. For example, the other day I had a urinary tract infection, and although I was treated at another emergency room, I usually followed up with my doctor so she could prescribe more medication if necessary,” explains O.P., a patient who has been unable to access this option for at least three weeks.

A similar case is that of V.F., who lives outside his city and needed to process a medical leave after suffering a severe blow that landed him in the emergency room. “I had to go to my health centre in person for the appointment with my doctor,” he notes. Despite these testimonies, the Regional Ministry of Health insists that telephone consultations are still available at all health centres and attributes the incidents to “specific technical adjustments to the schedules.” Furthermore, they emphasise that they consider this resource “very valuable” and that they do not intend to eliminate it.

Differences between in-person and telephone appointments

Regarding the time difference between in-person and telephone appointments, a notable difference can be observed at some health centres in the province. At the San Blas health centre in Alicante, in-person appointments are available same day with several times to choose from, while telephone appointments are delayed by two weeks.

At the Plaza América health centre, also in Alicante, the telephone option with some professionals does not offer appointments, and at the I de Villena health centre, it is not even available. In Elche, at the Doctor Alberto García auxiliary office, appointments by phone are delayed by almost two weeks.

In-Person

It’s worth remembering that the Ministry of Health has prioritised in-person care over telephone calls in the provinces of Alicante, Valencia, and Castellón in the last month, as part of the new scheduling model implemented by the Directorate General of Primary Care. According to doctors consulted, the new schedules limited telephone consultations to a maximum of six per day, which has significantly reduced their availability.

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Related Topics:Alicante Elche Emergency Health People Province Valencia Villena

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Torrevieja celebrates Norway’s National Day on Saturday, May 17th

Gitte Lund, Torrevieja City Council’s Councillor for International Residents, has announced that the usual procession to commemorate Norway’s National Day will commence at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 17th, at the Monument to the Hombre del Mar.

Hundreds of Norwegian residents from Torrevieja and other Norwegian colonies in the Vega Baja region will walk along the Juan Aparicio Promenade to Playa del Cura, where institutional speeches and a performance by the Norwegian School Choir will take place at 12:00 noon in the promenade’s natural pools.

Every year on May 17th, Norway celebrates National Day, which commemorates the anniversary of the Constitution’s promulgation in 1814. Although full independence was not attained until 1905, this date remains Norway’s National Day and is always observed as a national holiday.

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Cloe’s ex-boyfriend admits that he killed her along with another suspect

Samuel, the 17-year-old (at the time of the incident) accused of killing 15-year-old Cloe on the Orihuela Costa last November, testified in Alicante’s juvenile court yesterday, Thursday May 15th.

A three-hour statement for a murder classed as gender-based violence because the victim and alleged murderer were a couple.

According to Juan Carlos Fuentes, the family’s private prosecution counsel, the boy admitted to killing the girl with a knife but refused to answer any questions other than those posed by the Prosecutor’s Office and his own defence.

The teenager’s brother discovered her with a cut on her neck at home shortly before nine o’clock that Sunday night and transported her to the Torrevieja hospital, where she died shortly afterward.

The suspected killer was apprehended two hours later. Apparently, she had broken up with him a few days before. There were no reported cases of abuse.

In addition, another minor has been arrested for alleged active participation in the crime. This boy, Dilan, is expected to testify later today and will use the same logic.

Given their proximity to age, both face the maximum term under juvenile law: eight years in detention, beginning in a juvenile centre and ending in a normal prison.

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Benidorm expects full accommodations to be packed this weekend due to Eurofans

Accommodations in Benidorm (Alicante) are expected to be nearly full, or “technically full,” this weekend due to the popularity of the Benidorm Fest, which has elevated the city to the status of a top-tier tourist destination for Europeans.

As a result, an increasing number of Eurovision fans are flocking to Benidorm to soak up the Eurovision vibe and watch the final on the large screens placed up throughout the town, as well as attend the many Euroclub events.

Israel Martínez, Director General of Tourism of the Generalitat (Catalan Government), revealed that there are “confirmed reservations for the weekend that exceed 85%,” but estimates that they will reach “100% in the city of Benidorm.”

Martínez, who travelled to Basel (Switzerland) with a delegation from the Benidorm Fest, highlighted the “deseasonalising effect” of both the music festival held in Benidorm between January and February, in the middle of the low season, and the Eurovision Song Contest itself, which many tourists choose to enjoy from Benidorm, transforming the Euroclub festivities into “a tourist phenomenon” and increasing hotel occupancy rates.

He also emphasised the “young” nature of the tourists who would visit Benidorm this weekend because of the Eurovision vibe it created in the city. In many cases, they are “new” tourists who were neither known nor devoted to the city but who, thanks to efforts like the Benidorm Fest or Eurovision broadcasts, discover the location and “get hooked,” he said. In reality, he emphasised that the Benidorm Festival and Eurovision are, in terms of visitor occupancy, “two phenomena that feed off each other and are closely linked” to the city.

The Benidorm Fest delegation has organised a gala for this afternoon at 8 p.m. in Basel to promote the Benidorm festival and attract a European audience for the next edition.

According to Benidorm’s Head of Major Events, Jesús Carrobles, the 300 available seats for the gala have been totally sold out. While many Eurofans in Basel have shown interest in attending, the venue is currently “full.”

This event, in addition to advertising the upcoming edition of the Benidorm Fest and tourism sites in the Valencian Community, will feature performances by previous editions’ performers, including Mawot, Kuve, and Kingdom.