The Ombudsman has stressed the importance of increasing investment in Osakidetza in the face of citizens' complaints
Inés Ibáñez de Maeztu has stated that she is waiting for the measures to be taken after the Health Pact in the hope that they will improve the situation. She has also called for a "determined commitment to public policies to ensure the effectiveness of the right to housing".
Acting Ombudsman Inés Ibáñez de Maeztu in the Parliamentary Committee.
Acting Ombudsman Inés Ibáñez de Maeztu has stressed the importance of increasing investment in Osakidetza in order to provide the necessary resources and has acknowledged that she is "waiting" for the measures to be agreed in the Health Pact.
Ibañez de Maeztu presented to the parliamentary committee on Wednesdaythe 2024 report of the Ararteko , which was released on 1 April, highlighting that complaints about the operation of Osakidetza increased by 69.6% since 2023.
The Ararteko has explained that waiting times in some specialties are "much higher than the data officially published by Osakidetza", which, he said, implies "additional discomfort" for the patient.
That is why, in its responses to the parliamentary groups, it has reiterated the need to continue investing in materials and human resources in order to 'guarantee the effective exercise' of the right to health of the citizens of the Basque Country, for which it has considered that 'better planning and a large budget is needed'.
In particular, he's been talking about mental health with clinical psychologists and calling for more specific attention to be addressed globally.
Ibañez de Maeztu reviews the main points of the 2024 report, in which the activity of the institution of the Ararteko increased by 7.4% in 2024 compared to the previous year, with 14,608 activities, of which 4,310 were complaints files (+10.6%).
Another area of concern to citizens is housing, explained by the Ararteko, which considers it necessary to "make a determined commitment to public policies that guarantee the effectiveness of the right to housing, especially for young people and groups at risk of social exclusion".
In this way, it advocates increasing the public rental housing stock and improving coordination between housing and social assistance.
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