Public Health experts call for independent assessment of the Spanish state health system

A group of public health experts has demanded an independent and impartial evaluation, carried out by a panel of international and national experts, of the Spanish health system, focusing on the activities of the central government and the government of the 17 autonomous communities. This is stated in a letter published here in the international journal The Lancet. Among the experts is the head of the Cures de Salut research group (GRECS), and professor at the Faculty of Nursing and Physiotherapy at the University of Lleida (UdL), Montserrat Gea.

The text is signed by a group of professionals, encapçalats Alberto García-Basteiro, from countries such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Singapore. In the letter, the experts say that this assessment is necessary to "prepare the country for new waves of COVID-19 or future pandemics in order to identify the weak and the strong and the weak. According to the experts, this assessment should focus on three areas: governance and decision-making, scientific and technical advice, and operational capacity.  Furthermore, it must also take into account the social and economic circumstances that have contributed to making the Spanish State more vulnerable. 

“Although this type of evaluation is not usual in Spain, several institutions and countries, such as WHO and Sweden, have accepted the need for such a review as a means towards learning from the past and preparing for the future” said the researchers. “We encourage the Spanish Government to consider this evaluation as an opportunity that could lead to better pandemic preparedness, preventing premature deaths and building a resilient health system, with scientific evidence at its core.”