On Saturday, the Platform for Public Health held a demonstration at Torrevieja University Hospital, drawing more than four hundred participants to protest against the chronic budget shortfall plaguing the healthcare area. This deficit has been calculated at an average of five hundred and fifty-seven euros less per person annually over the past three years compared to the rest of the Valencia Community, compromising the accessibility and quality of medical care, according to organisers.

In an analysis of healthcare statistics, the Platform noted that only six per cent of patients in Torrevieja receive appointments within the first forty-eight hours. This starkly contrasts with the national average of twenty-two per cent. Furthermore, delays for specialist appointments average one hundred and five days in Torrevieja, with only twenty-nine per cent receiving their appointment within the first ninety days.

The protest also highlighted urgent surgical interventions, where waiting times exceed the national average for the majority of the population, and cancer screening coverage remains critically low at fifty per cent. Local representatives expressed their concerns over these delays and inadequate healthcare infrastructure in a region serving a population of two hundred and twenty-five thousand.

The co-spokespersons for the Platform accused the ruling Partido Popular government of maintaining the inequitable funding situation, which they argue hinders essential projects, including the construction of a second public hospital. With increasing participation from various local groups, including support from some councils, the call for action to improve healthcare in the region continues to gain momentum.