"I shall not spare any efforts or commitment in strengthening our collective determination to achieve our goals", says María Luisa Carcedo

The minister called for the participation and involvement of the whole of society to ensure well-being, equality, social justice and the redistribution of wealth, as well as to foster a more socially and territorially cohesive society. "These tasks fall to all of us and rest assured that I shall not spare any efforts or commitment in strengthening our collective determination to achieve our goals", she remarked.

And this task, added the minister, will involve the participation of organisations in the third social sector, trade unions, scientific societies, patient, user and consumer associations, industry and society as a whole. "Our vocation is to ensure that society enjoys universal protection".

"That is my ideal ministerial department", stated María Luisa Carcedo. "It has been for many years now, since I began my professional activity and particularly when, together with a group of enthusiastic healthcare professionals, and with my modest contribution, we embarked on the adventure of setting up and developing a national health system that is universal, with free access, high quality and which guarantees equal treatment for all".

"Now, after many years of decline and threats to the integrity of this model, a model that cost many years of collective effort to build up, it is once again starting to recover its original objectives", she added.

María Luisa Carcedo expressed her gratitude to the former minister Carmen Montón, highlighting "the mammoth task" performed in these first 100 days, particularly in terms of recovering universal healthcare cover. "You have managed to place this ministerial department at the centre of the policies that affect the daily lives of all Spanish men and women".

In her opinion, healthcare protection and assistance; social services and consumer affairs represent three areas of public action with great capacity to make progress towards the exercise of fair treatment and social justice. "Public action will include a key element for success here - cooperation between the public authorities to move forward together in managing services transparently, based on scientific evidence and incorporating assessments that will allow us to identify the effective allocation of public resources in line with the goals set".

To end, the minister expressed her "immense gratitude" at the confidence placed in her by the President of the Government and highlighted her "absolute agreement" with the commitments taken on by Pedro Sánchez to socially stabilise the country and enhance social justice as a structural cornerstone of his government's action.

Non official translation