CANCER patients on the Costa del Sol face delays to urgent treatment as Marbella hospital grapples with severe staff shortages, unions have warned.
Malaga’s doctors’ union, the SMM, said the Costa del Sol University Hospital’s radiotherapy department faces a week-long ‘paralysis’ due to a ‘lack of planning’ and shortages of key staff.
Patients in need of urgent radiotherapy could see their treatment interrupted as a result, the union warned, with potentially serious consequences for their health.
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“This situation poses a direct risk both to the continuation of treatments already underway and to the care of new patients requiring urgent cancer treatment,” the SMM said in a statement.
“An unplanned interruption to radiotherapy can seriously affect patients’ chances of recovery and their response to treatment, while also making it more difficult to control pain, bleeding, compression of vital structures and neurological deficits.”
Radiotherapy uses high-energy radiation to destroy cancer cells and shrink tumours.
It is a vital part of cancer care, helping to treat tumours, prevent them from growing or returning, and ease symptoms such as pain and bleeding.
Three years ago, the Costa del Sol University Hospital set up two cutting-edge radiotherapy machines in its cancer ward – valued at more than €4 million.
However, staff shortages mean one of the two machines has never been used, while the department only operates at 5% of its total capacity, according to the SMM.
The regional government fought batted off the criticism, insisting the service was being rolled out ‘gradually and as planned.’
It also stressed that radiotherapy treatment for patients at the hospital was ‘fully guaranteed’ through Andalucia’s public health system, despite the concerns raised by the union.
The government added it has permanently hired 28 highly qualified staff to run the equipment, including three radiotherapy specialists, two medical physicists and 18 technicians.
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