Specialists in this field are in high demand throughout Spain

Oncologist expected to join Verge del Toro team this month

Reassuring. The IB-Salut team explaining the situation regarding the oncology service

Patients are being treated by visiting cancer specialists from Son Dureta Hospital as the only local oncologist has been on sick leave since September

C.M.W..Maó

The Managing Director of IB-Salut, Sergio Bertrán, announced last week that negotiations to find an oncologist for the Verge del Toro Hospital were nearing the final stage and that, all being well, a new cancer specialist would join the Maó team this December. Appearing with the head of the Verge del Toro, Claudio Triay, the Menorcan Health Co-ordinator, Jaime Orfila, and the Welfare Director of IB-Salut´s central services, Luis Alegre, Bertrán declined to go into further detail "because we are talking to professional people who do not currently work in the Balearic Islands and whom we have to entice from other centres", adding that he hoped the response would be positive.

Until the acquisition of a new oncologist is more definite, and as the only cancer specialist currently at the Maó hospital, Pilar Díaz, is still on sick leave, IB-Salut will increase the number of visits by specialists from Son Dureta Hospital to five per week; four days in Maó and one in Ciutadella, the latter starting with effect from 15th December.

The IB-Salut team issued a message of calm to those residents in Menorca, especially the cancer patients, who have recently voiced their concern regarding the shortcomings in the service locally since Doctor Díaz fell ill at the end of September.

According to Bertrán, despite the problems caused by the present lack of a cancer specialist, for which he apologised to those affected, "the service has always been covered" with help from the Son Dureta Hospital, and "from a clinical point of view, the monitoring of these patients has been supervised".

Nationwide demand

He explained that the hospital in Palma currently has ten oncologists but that it, too, finds problems in filling these positions due to the high demand that exists throughout Spain for people trained for the post and the fact that these specialists tend to choose to work in the larger hospitals which offer more career opportunities. The opening of new hospitals in the region has increased the competition between the Balearic centres when engaging oncologists. Bertrán issued an assurance that the question of salary would not be a problem when contracting an oncologist for Menorca.