Marina Salud concession to continue in Denia Hospital

THE Councilor for Public Health, Carmen Heath, has admitted that the plans to revoke the concession from Marina Salud, who jointly operate the Denia hospital as part of a private and public health care management system, is not actually possible or indeed viable, stating that the priority is to achieve quality health care. 

Newly elected local socialist governments have sought to oust the private company Marina Salud since it was awarded the concession by the previous PP administration, who awarded the contract in an effort to obtain much needed investment capital, unavailable from public funds, to be able to offer a high standard and help strengthen the health care offered in the Marina Alta. 

Critics of the part privatisation model have sought to terminate the contract immediately, which should run until 2023, but the councilor for public health has warned that this would not be beneficial in improving the quality of health care offered.

The Denia Hospital is seen as the benchmark of excellence in the model of private management of a public health care service and has won numerous awards under the guidance of Marina Salud. Rated as the most technologically advanced in Spain, it was the first hospital in Spain and the second in Europe to receive level seven of seven HIMSS (Society of Information Systems and Management in Health). Half of the hospitals in the United States are currently on stage three with just 0.7 percent at stage seven.

In 2012, it also received the award for Unified Information Systems. The prize, awarded by the Foundation Lintel was for demonstrating the best technological projects and services for the citizen, obtained by implementing a fully electronic environment for medical records, improving speed and efficiency for the treatment of patients. It has also recently been recognised by the Spanish Society of Health Informatics as excelling in the field of information technology.