The incidence of influenza in Aragon is stabilizing, although it remains very high among children under four years of age | News
Morbidity influenza in the youngest age groups, what in 715 cases per 100,000 people in a group of children under four years of age. “The situation is more encouraging among the adult population,” Health Minister José Luis Bancalero explained in the Buenos Díaz program, on Aragon TV and Aragon Radio. average number of cases 336 and perhaps “in a week and a half to 15 days it will stabilize,” according to the head of Aragonese Health.
Bancalero explained that the incidence ““It was no worse than previous years.” He noted that the department has a project of phased actions with various technical groups, and “they are being carried out and implemented as the incidence of respiratory infections increases in the autonomous community.” Yes, he criticized the ministry’s failure to implement a flu vaccination campaign and asked for “consensus” on measures such as mandatory mask-wearing. “Public health has broken the consensus on how to deal with this type of infection because the incidence is not the same in all communities. The ministry lacks transparency and consensus,” he reiterated.
On vaccination Regarding influenza, Bancalero thanked for the work of all the professionals who “without hesitation spent hours vaccinating the population of Aragon” and also praised the work Aragonese reaction to the opening of the vaccination program. He has demonstrated his commitment to improving the administration’s response to possible promotion of vaccination in the next campaignbut always thinking about “vaccinating the most vulnerable populations first.”
The consultant also highlighted the Aragonese government’s efforts to improve COVID vaccines by making “other vaccines available to Aragonese”, referring to Novavax for those who have experienced side effects after vaccination with other drugs.
Tension in hospitals
The Health Minister responded to tensions that arose at the end of the year in several health centers and hospitals in Aragon. He explained this by the lack of specialists due to vacation. “The team was not 100% full, which meant that the workload was distributed among fewer specialists, that is, those who were not on vacation. Now there is no such pressure anymore. and they don’t feel stressed,” he says. He recalled that 98% of patients requiring hospitalization do so within the first 24 hours. and that there is no shortage of beds in Aragonese hospitals.
Bancalero emphasized attachments planned by the Aragonese government for the coming years. Among them is the Perpetual Help medical center in Huesca, work on which has already begun: “It will be an innovative center with the latest technologies.”
He said that the linear accelerator in the capital of Huesca has been put into operation and a period of personnel training is underway. “We hope it will be available to the public in February,” he predicted. The accelerator, which the regional executive wants to implement, also in Teruel, to “guarantee the equality of citizens,” said the adviser.
The head of the Ministry of Health recalled that the work Hospitals in Teruel and Alcañiz: “The government plans to invest €100 million in health investments, including in these two centres.” The hospital in the capital Teruel could be ready by the end of next year, while the hospital in Bajo Aragon will become operational in the first half of 2025.
In conclusion, he spoke about waiting lists. “We are seeing more Aragonese specialists and this is leading to more operations than before,” he said. He recalled some figures that he wanted to compare with the data of the previous government. He noted that from January to August 2023, 3,150 operations were carried out per month and “during these four months, we operated on 5,300 people every month.” “It’s not a matter of quantity, but how we work. The lists are increasing, but we are diagnosing more of the population,” he explained.
At the same time, he recalled that patients in need of urgent, immediate or oncological surgical treatment “are operated on in the first 30 days.” Bancalero also said that the department is working to optimize agreements with the defense hospital and MAZ in order to “expand the surgical department and increase the number of operations.”