HEART ATTACK VICTIM’S NINETY MINUTE WAITBy David Eade - Costa del Sol News
The lack of adequate health care has again hit the headlines in the Serranía de Ronda.
In April 2008 residents of the Valle de Genal demonstrated against the Andalucía health service (SAS) demanding a second ambulance for the area after the death of the young man ‘Lucky’ who died from peritonitis after delays in sending an ambulance to his aid in Gaucín.
Now it has emerged that on March 24 a 76-year-old woman living in the neighbouring village of Algatocín was left waiting 90 minutes for treatment after suffering a heart attack. The ambulance with its medical team that is assigned to the area was in Ronda at the time attending to another emergency. It was two and a half hours after the attack that she was finally transferred to hospital.
Her daughter says that in December her mother had suffered an attack of angina resulting in her being kept in the intensive care unit at Ronda’s hospital for four days. When she phoned the Algatocín health centre at 22.00 on March 24 she was told the ambulance had left five minutes ago for Ronda.
The family decided to take their mother the 25 kilometres to Ronda’s hospital in their own car. On the road they called the 061 emergency service to seek help. As they neared Atajate the 061 service told them to return to Algatocín and they would send an ambulance from Cortes de la Frontera health centre.
They returned home and then had to wait 15 minutes for the ambulance to arrive. The medical team gave her mother first response treatment – 90 minutes after she suffered the heart attack. Further delays allegedly caused by Algatocín health centre meant she had to wait another hour before going to hospital.
Once at the hospital she spent three days in the emergency unit as intensive care had no beds. She was then released and it was on her return home that her family spoke out over her plight – it was a miracle she survived they declared.
For its part the Serranía health service insists that as soon as the woman’s condition was known, as the Algatocín ambulance was on an emergency, the nearest medical team was made available.
There are five emergency stations in the area – Ronda, Algatocín, Benaoján, Cortes de la Frontera and El Burgo which have six ambulances between them.
LESS JOBLESS
Ronda’s unemployment total dropped by 52 in March. The total now stands at 4,153 according to the regional government’s employment ministry. Women head the table with 2,163 jobless with 1,990 men on the dole. The town received a boost over Easter when businesses recruited staff for the holiday period. The town hall has provided work for 208 through its job creation programmes.
ACCESS CUT
Ronda’s 13.3 million road upgrade programme being funded by the regional government has led to the access to the town from the A-374 Sevilla road at the Ciervo junction being cut for seven months. Traffic for the industrial estate can enter via the Olivar de las Monjas junction whilst vehicles heading for the town centre are advised to use the avenida de Málaga.
NOT US
The Partido Popular has angrily rejected claims by the mayor Antonio Marín and his socialist deputy Francisco Cañestro that it has opposed the connection of Ronda to the AVE high speed rain service. The party was targeted after the PP administration in Marbella called for the AVE line to come to the Costa del Sol town rather than Ronda and the Serranía.
MUSIC SCHOOL
Ronda’s delegate for education, Lidia García, urged those interested in enrolling in the municipal music school to sign-up as soon as possible at the Casa del Jalifa. Closing date is April 30 and the school can cater for 265 pupils with the various courses starting in May. Amongst the work shops are music stimulation for infants plus special lessons for the over 50s.
PENSION THEFT
The home run by the Hermanitas de los Pobres in Ronda has reported that 3,000 euros was stolen on Easter Sunday. The money was largely the proceeds from a collection held during Semana Santa and was taken whilst the sisters and the residents were attending mass. The distraught nuns said 1,000 euros was money allocated for the pensions of the elderly inmates.
FLAG ROW
The Serranía village of Alpandeire was honoured with the title of town in 1815 by King Fernando VII after it valiant defiance against the French occupation forces. Now it is facing another battle over the designs for the municipal flag and coat of arms. The design favoured by residents was rejected at a council meeting with opposing parties at loggerheads demanding new designs.
JOB BACK
The Partido Popular mayor of Gaucín, Francisco Ruiz, has now quit his post and will be rejoining the regional government’s ministry of the environment as a forest agent on April 15. His deputy the Partido Andalucista councillor Francisco Macias is putting himself forward as his permanent replacement. Meanwhile PSOE’s Málaga provincial secretary has slammed the PP for the irresponsible behaviour of its mayor.
