The Justice has opened an investigation to the Hogar Santa Rita in Puerto de la Cruz, the largest geriatric center in the Canary Islands with more than 600 public and concerted places, for serious irregularities in its management. This was confirmed yesterday by María Farnés, chief prosecutor of the Provincial Court, in an interview with the Hoy Por Hoy La Portada program of Radio Club Tenerife, broadcaster of Cadena SER.
After an investigation by a senior prosecutor and civil prosecutors, who, as Farnés detailed, are dedicated “specifically to matters related to the elderly and residences,” the public prosecutor conducted a complaint for the serious irregularities detected which was sent to the Investigating Court of Puerto de la Cruz. This judicial body has opened a procedure.
Outbreaks of scabies, malnutrition, dehydration and shortages and lack of control in meals in the largest residence for the elderly in Tenerife. These were the anomalies reported by staff from the Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria (Hunsc) in the Hogar Santa Rita after taking over this nursing home at the end of last year to try to stop an outbreak of covid-19 that closed with more than 200 positives and a score of deceased. The report, prepared a few days after the Ministry of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands ordered the intervention of this residence on December 8, 2020, is the one that motivated the investigation of the Prosecutor’s Office. The serious irregularities were transferred to the Ministry of Social Rights of the Canarian Government and the Prosecutor’s Office itself. Some users came to assure that they were starving due to the poor dining room service, always according to the Health report.
To these irregularities was added the concern that caused the way in which those responsible for the Hogar Santa Rita, a religious foundation, responded to these complaints. The managing director, Tomás Villar, went so far as to affirm that the outbreak of scabies is “something innate in human life” or that the information regarding the conclusive official reports prepared by the University Hospital of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria and the requirements of the Ministry of Social Rights of the Canary Islands Government were “a hoax.” The center ended up acknowledging that it had mistaken the scabies for atopic dermatitis, a much milder condition.
The Fundación Hogar Santa Rita maintained, however, an unconstructive attitude towards the Health report. He assured that he had not had “access or any knowledge whatsoever of the content of the report” and accused “the health administration” of “interestedly filtering extremely sensitive information to certain media and that, as has been the case, it is liable to be used in a way biased and interested.
Although it offers public places and others arranged with the Council of Tenerife, the Santa Rita Home, a macro-complex with more than 600 beds, is managed by a private entity, although it remains intervened by the Ministry of Health due to the serious deficiencies discovered.
