Pedro Sánchez highlights the value of seven years of progressive Government: "1 June 2018 marked a turning point in the commitment to strengthen the welfare state"

Melilla

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, and the Minister for Health, Mónica García, in a group photo with attendees at the inauguration (Pool Moncloa/Borja Puig de la Bellacasa)

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, has highlighted the value of seven years of progressive Government on the 7th anniversary of his inauguration as president of the Government of Spain: "That 1 June 2018 marked a before and after in the commitment to strengthen the welfare state after years of cuts and dismantling of public services."

The head of the Executive, accompanied by the Minister for Health, Mónica García; the President of Melilla, Juan José Imbroda; and by the Government Delegate in the autonomous city, Sabrina Moh, presided over the inauguration ceremony of the University Hospital of Melilla, where he reviewed what the management of his Executive over the last seven years has meant for our country, and reaffirmed his Government's commitment to public health.

In his opinion, this period has marked "a before and after in the fight against job insecurity with more and better jobs", he stressed, "with more dignity in work and wages and with an accumulated rise of 61% in the minimum wage." It also "marks a before and after in the defence of our pensions", because "where there was a freeze and loss of purchasing power, today there is revaluation in line with the evolution of the cost of living." "And it marks a before and after, too, in the commitment to our public health", he added, because "where there were massive redundancies and entire healthcare plants closed, today hospitals like this one in Melilla are being opened".

In his speech, the head of the Executive celebrated that "this is the Spain of today, a country that leads and is the engine of growth for the entire EU", that "creates 4 out of every 10 new jobs in Europe", and is "a benchmark in rights and freedoms; in progress and social and territorial cohesion." In this respect, he stressed that this "is the true legacy of these seven years in which Spain has not stopped moving forwards, no matter how adverse the circumstances."

"It is good to look back to take stock of everything that has been done, but above all to take momentum, thinking not only about what remains to be done, but also about what we are going to do as a Government in the coming years," he said.

Commitment to public health

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, during his visit to the hospital's radiology department, accompanied by the Minister for Health, Mónica García | Pool Moncloa/Borja Puig de la Bellacasa

During the inauguration of the University Hospital of Melilla, the head of the Executive remarked that "in today's Spain, almost 30% more is invested in healthcare than in 2018", in contrast to "a decade of cuts in healthcare spending." He also highlighted the impetus being given by European funds, with a specific strategic project, the PERTE for Cutting-Edge Health, with over 1.8 billion euros, and an unprecedented commitment to making Spain a benchmark in clinical trials. He also stressed that "in today's Spain, almost 50% more MIR places are offered than seven years ago", a record 11,943 MIR places in the last call for applications, which have all been allocated.

In contrast to the Government's commitment to public health, the president criticised those who voted against the creation of the State Public Health Agency, "a fundamental tool for anticipating and preventing pandemics and health emergencies", because "it is crucial to continue making progress and incorporating new services into our system." In this regard he recalled that other Government commitments include the financing, from September, of glasses and contact lenses for children under 16 years of age with aid of up to 100 euros; and the promotion of the first state agreement for children under the age of six to receive quality early care with the guarantee of being treated within 45 days. "Let there be no doubt: there will be many more advances to continue to make our system more robust and more equitable," he added.

University Hospital of Melilla

The president of the Government of Spain stressed that the start-up of the University Hospital of Melilla "is the realisation of a firm and resounding commitment to one of the pillars of our welfare state: a treasure called universal public healthcare." This is a priority project that has had "the largest investment ever made by the General State Administration in this city: more than 150 million euros", he stressed. It has the largest number of staff in the history of Melilla's healthcare system, more than 1,100 professionals, which means a ratio of human resources per inhabitant that is at the top of the NHS.

"In today's Spain, investment commitments are honoured", the head of the Executive made clear, referring to the fact that it was the coalition government that gave the definitive impetus to this health centre. "Opening the doors of this hospital means settling a historical debt with the people of Melilla", as well as "repairing an injustice that fortunately we have already overcome," he insisted.

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, during his visit to the hospital laboratory, accompanied by the Minister for Health, Mónica García | Pool Moncloa/Borja Puig de la Bellacasa

Under the presidency of Pedro Sánchez, investment in Melilla has increased by more than 52%, more than 123.3 million euros in seven years; and in addition, 93 million euros have been invested from the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (RTRP), with a total of 856 beneficiaries.

Gaza: Stop the barbarism

In his speech, the president of the Government of Spain also had words to denounce the situation in Gaza and deplored the attacks on hospitals. "I appeal to the words of the Pope: for humanity, for decency, for justice, this barbarism must be stopped," he stressed.

Non official translation