Shortage of qualified doctors for the position of oncologist

Medical chief insists cancer patients are well-cared for

Maó Hospital. Several vacancies for specialists

Recognising the need for two oncologists on the island, the Balearic Health Authority has waived the usual stipulation of one per 100,000 inhabitants

C.M.W..Maó

The head of IB-Salut in Menorca, Claudio Triay, has publicly responded to recent criticisms from local cancer associations regarding the lack of a second cancer specialist on the island. He points out that both the positions were filled until 15th July and states that it is not true that patients have had to wait 40 days for a visit following an operation; saying that they have been attended to within ten days.

Triay is conscious of the need to fill the second position in the oncology department and denies that this has been delayed for financial reasons, explaining that the reason is the difficulty in finding a specialist, a problem common in other fields too.

The island´s medical chief says that the Balearic Health Authority recognises the need for two oncologists on the island and for this reason has waived the usual requirement of 100,000 inhabitants per specialist. He points out that Menorca only had a resident oncologist for the first time in 2001 (the second position being created two years later) and that until then cancer patients were seen by a general practitioner and later referred to a specialist from Mallorca who visited the island fortnightly. Triay insists that the treatment received by the island´s cancer patients has done nothing but improve over the last few years.

Describing the determined efforts made to find a specialist to fill the vacancy, Triay said that the health service had even gone so far as to offer two contracts for the one position to a married couple, both of whom were oncologists from the mainland; an offer which was not taken up by the job-seekers. He explained that there are also vacancies in other medical departments, all of which are advertised on the appropriate web pages. According to him the shortage of qualified people is not limited to the medical section but is also evident in the police force and legal sector.

The head of IB-Salut issued an assurance that the vacancy would be filled as soon as a suitable person could be found, adding that, in the meantime, the health service was adequately covering patients´ needs.