Breast cancer screening crisis in Andalucía prompts regional health minister's resignation
Head of the Junta, Juanma Moreno, has announced a major overhaul of the Andalusian public healthcare system
The breast cancer screening programme crisis is destined to see some major changes made to the Junta de Andalucía's political scene. On Wednesday, 8 October, president of the regional government Juanma Moreno announced that he had already approved the immediate resignation of regional health minister Rocío Hernández.
This is the first dismissal of a regional minister for management issues since Juanma Moreno became president of the Junta de Andalucía in January 2019.
Hernández has barely completed 15 months as a member of the Andalusian government, which she joined in July last year. At that time, Moreno changed the structure of the regional cabinet midway through the legislature and brought her in as an expert in primary care, which was then considered the Achilles' heel of Andalusian healthcare.
Also on Wednesday, Moreno announced that there will be profound changes in the Andalusian health system. He acknowledged that it is unacceptable that the Junta has been made aware of the major issues in the programme by the women affected.
Rocío Hernández's immediate leave implies that someone else will be in charge of communicating the emergency plan approved to deal with the crisis, although the now former regional minister of health has already been to Hospital Virgen del Rocío in Seville to coordinate the implementation of the measures from the epicentre of the crisis. However, her role has now been temporarily assumed by regional government spokesperson Carolina España.
Moreno described Hernández, whose name he did not directly mention, as "a woman who has dedicated her entire life to health and the last year to public service as one of the most difficult political responsibilities in Spain, which is to lead the largest public health system in Spain". He stated that, although the former regional minister has committed mistakes, she has managed them "with honesty and dedication".
'No excuses'
According to the Junta's president, mistakes in a system of the size and complexity of the Andalusian health service are unavoidable due to the amount of work done every day, from births to cataract surgeries or heart transplants. However, he finds it unacceptable that it has been the affected patients who have contacted the authorities to inform them of the issue. "There are no excuses," Moreno said, promising to take immediate actions.
He assured that the regional government will plan a profound renovation of the Andalusian health system, changing everything that does not function well. "We are more committed to it than ever before," he said.
