It also establishes a shared management model for emergency care for temporarily displaced foreigners.
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The aim is to establish a coordinated framework for care and reduce congestion in emergency services, especially during the summer.
The Consell de Govern has today approved a decree regulating certain aspects of urgent and emergent healthcare activity in the Balearic Islands. The approval of this new regulation means, on the one hand, granting SAMU 061 the status of health authority by becoming the sole management body for urgent and emergent health care in the Balearic Islands. On the other hand, it allows for the establishment of an appropriate regulatory framework and shared management with private healthcare for out-of-hospital care for EU and British citizens temporarily displaced to the Balearic Islands.
The arrival of tourists to the Balearic Islands during the summer period means that healthcare resources are under increasing pressure; the Balearic Islands received 14.4 million tourists during the 2023 season. This situation makes it increasingly necessary to incorporate new forms of shared management to decongest public health emergency services, provide a more effective and immediate response to emergencies and continue to provide quality healthcare.
SAMU 061 becomes a healthcare authority
The SAMU 061 Emergency Care Management Service has become the sole management body for urgent and emergency healthcare in the Balearic Islands. Therefore, this Management – as well as the Medical Emergency Coordination Centre – becomes the competent health authority to coordinate all those involved in out-of-hospital care. If an action is carried out within the framework of the activation of a Community emergency plan, it will be carried out in coordination with the Directorate General for Emergencies.
Thus, from the approval of this regulation, transport units operating under a contract with a public administration or in a public space must identify themselves and inform SAMU 061 of the operation. In the case of private events with a large number of people (concerts, macro-parties, etc.), where by law an ambulance or medical staff must be activated, these resources must be reported to SAMU 061 and SEIB 112. A direct communication channel must also be made available.
SAMU 061, within the limits established by the regulation, will be solely responsible for coordinating out-of-hospital care processes for patients in a situation in which the response time is vital (stroke, cardiorespiratory arrest, serious trauma, etc.). On the other hand, it will also decide on the patient’s destination hospital and the means of medical transport, based on care criteria.
If two or more medical transport units coincide for the same care, the first SAMU 061 doctor to arrive at the scene of the incident will be the one in command of the situation. Any failure to comply with the regulations will result in an infraction that may result in a sanctioning procedure with fines ranging from €500 to €50,000, depending on the severity.
Care for EU and British citizens temporarily displaced to the Balearic Islands.
The Decree-Law also establishes the creation of the Network of Health Centres and Services to Support Urgent and Emergency Assistance. Health entities that are members (with prior authorisation from the Ministry of Health if they meet the minimum requirements established by law) will become economic operators authorised to offer urgent and emergency health care (in hospital or outpatient) to EU and British citizens temporarily visiting the Balearic Islands who have a valid European health card and who do not have other means of payment such as private insurance, travel insurance, etc.
Apart from this generic authorisation, Health may also expressly and specifically authorise certain private health centres and services to offer care in processes of special relevance such as the stroke code, the heart attack code and serious trauma care, within the framework of health care for EU and British citizens.
In the case of transferring a patient from the Health Service to one of the private operators or vice versa, all clinical information necessary to ensure optimal continuity of care must be provided with the transfer. This transfer of information will be carried out in compliance with current legislation on data processing and data protection.
The financing of care provided to temporary Community or British foreign patients shall be limited to the amount, in force at any given time, equivalent to sixty-five percent of the public prices referred to, under the services they have provided, with prior reviews and appropriate checks by the Health Service; the remaining thirty-five percent corresponds to the costs that the Health Service must assume to carry out the management tasks of this activity.
The provisions contained in Title II of this Decree-Law shall be in force for one year from the date of its publication.