The Provincial Hospital of Castellón is facing a difficult crisis in two of its most sensitive areas, Nuclear Medicine and Traumatology, due to the lack of doctors in the midst of the new direction led by psychiatrist Matías Real. However, it is in the first of these units, Nuclear Medicine, in which the problems can worsen taking into account the situation of the staıff, with only two specialists now working, and the number of patients who are treated as it is the only service throughout the province.
The situation in Nuclear Medicine seems dire, with over 170 unreported files according to hospital sources. The shortage of personnel is additionally exacerbated by the absence of two of the four specialists who are currently not on staff, with one on leave and the other having ceased their position. Since the head of service left in March, there has been no replacement, leading to an accumulation of unreported files.
The management of the center has argued that there is organically an area head of Central Services that assumes tasks inherent to the head office, and the appropriate steps are being taken to cover the sick leave that has occurred in the service. However, it is evident that these steps are not enough to handle the overwhelming pressure the service is currently experiencing, with staff members expressing concerns over their physical and emotional well-being.
The conflict in Nuclear Medicine has also impacted the province of Valencia, with five specialists signing a letter addressing the “conflict present in the Service of Nuclear Medicine of the Provincial Hospital Consortium of Castellón.” The heads of the Nuclear Medicine service of five health departments in the province of Valencia have indicated that the workload is acceptable on an individual basis, but cannot be estimated as work overload when considering the number of physicians in the service.
The hospital management maintains that the proposed work plan is feasible with the commitment that the workforce will be reinforced to make up for the current absence. However, as the situation in the Nuclear Medicine unit continues to deteriorate, it is clear that urgent intervention is needed to prevent a collapse in patient care and to provide relief to the overstretched staff.