Pedro Sánchez highlights the seven years of progressive government: "June 1, 2018 marks a before and after in the commitment to strengthen the welfare state, after years of cuts

The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, has valued the seven years of progressive government, this Monday, the date on which the 7th anniversary of his inauguration as President of the Government is celebrated. "That June 1, 2018 marks a before and an after in the commitment to strengthen the welfare state after years of cuts and dismantling of public services."

The head of the Executive, accompanied by the Minister of Health, Mónica García; the president of Melilla, Juan José Imbroda; and by the delegate of the Government in the autonomous city, Sabrina Moh, has presided over the opening ceremony of the University Hospital of Melilla, where he has reviewed what the management of his Executive has meant for our country over the past seven years, and has reaffirmed the commitment of his Government to public health.

In his opinion, this period has marked "a before and after in the fight against job insecurity with more better employment", he stressed, "with more labor and salary dignity, and with a cumulative increase of 61% of the SMI". It also “marks a before and after in the defense of our pensions”, because “where there was freezing and loss of purchasing power, today there is revaluation according to the evolution of the cost of living”. “And it marks a before and an after, too, in the commitment to our public health,” he added, because “where there were mass layoffs and entire healthcare plants were closed, hospitals like this one in Melilla are opening today.”

In his speech, the head of the Executive celebrated that "this is the Spain of today, a country that leads and is the engine of growth of the entire EU", that "creates 4 out of 10 new jobs in Europe", and is "a reference in rights and freedoms; in progress and social and territorial cohesion". In this regard, he stressed that this “is the true legacy of these seven years in which Spain has not ceased to advance, however adverse the circumstances may be”.

“It is good to look back to become aware of everything that has been done, but, above all, to gain momentum, thinking not only about what remains to be done, but also about what we are going to do from the government in the coming years,” he said.

Commitment to public health
During the inauguration of the University Hospital of Melilla, the head of the Executive stressed that "in Spain today, almost 30% more is invested in health than in 2018", as opposed to "a decade of sniffing at health spending". He also highlighted the boost that European funds are giving, with a specific strategic project, the PERTE for cutting-edge health, endowed with more than 1.8 billion euros, and an unprecedented commitment to make Spain a benchmark in clinical trials. In addition, he stressed that “in Spain today, almost 50% more MIR seats are offered than seven years ago”, a record figure of 11,943 MIR seats in the last call, which have been awarded in full.

Faced with the government's commitment to public health, the president has criticized those who voted against the creation of the State Public Health Agency, "a fundamental tool to anticipate and prevent pandemics and health emergencies," because "it is crucial to continue moving forward, and incorporate new benefits into our system." In this regard, he recalled, among other commitments of the Government, the financing, from September, of glasses and lenses for children under 16 years of age with aid up to 100 euros; and the promotion of the first State agreement so that children under 6 years of age receive quality early care with the guarantee of being intervened before 45 days. “Let no one doubt it: there will be many more advances to continue making our system more robust and more equitable,” he added.

University Hospital of Melilla
The President of the Government has stressed that the implementation of the University Hospital of Melilla “is the concretion of a firm and resounding commitment to one of the pillars of our welfare state: a treasure called universal public health”. It is a priority project that has counted on "the largest investment ever made by the general administration of the State in this city: more than 150 million euros", he stressed. It has the largest number of staff in the history of health care in Melilla, more than 1,100 professionals, which represents a ratio of human resources per inhabitant that is at the head of the SNS.

"In today's Spain, investment commitments are met," the head of the Executive said, referring to the fact that it was the coalition government that gave the definitive impetus to this health center. "Opening the doors of this hospital means paying a historical debt to the Melillenses", in addition to "repairing an injustice that fortunately we have already overcome", he insisted.

Under the presidency of Pedro Sánchez, investment in Melilla has increased by more than 52%, more than €123.3 million in seven years; and in addition, €93 million has been invested from the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR), with a total of 856 beneficiaries.

Gaza: Stop the barbarity
In his speech, the President of the Government also had words to denounce the situation in Gaza, and regretted the attacks on hospitals. "I appeal to the Pope's words: for humanity, for decency, for justice, this barbarity must be stopped," he stressed.