The Minister of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands, Blas Trujillo, said this Monday in a parliamentary commission that he is awaiting the report issued by the investigation commission that was created in April 2021 for an alleged sexual harassment in the unit Pediatric Surgery of the University Hospital of La Candelariain Tenerife.
Forced to leave the Canary Islands to continue training as doctors after reporting alleged workplace harassment
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Blas Trujillo responded in this way to the deputy of the Nationalist group (CC-PNC-AHI) Alberto Díaz Estébanez, who asked the counselor if there were complaints or complaints of workplace harassment in the specialty of Pediatric Surgery at the Hospital de la Candelaria and, if so, , consequences, files, transfers or resolutions that affect plaintiffs or defendants.
The counselor explained that, concurrently with this complaint by two resident doctors, in 2020 there was a conflictive situation between the head of service of that specialty, the associates and the residents, so that six of the seven associates stopped providing service .
He reported that on November 19, 2020, the situation worsened with the presentation of the two requests to activate the protocol for workplace harassment, which led to the opening of files that motivated the planned investigation commissions, so that they were formed in April 2021 .
These commissions requested documentation and on May 7 they agreed to return everything to the managing body because the facts could constitute a crime of harassment based on sex.
Actions began on June 7, 2021 and “milestones” were produced in such a way that investigation commissions for harassment based on sex were formed, made up of three technicians, one of them from the Canarian Institute of Equality, and two from the staff meeting or works council.
On April 26 of this year, the investigation commissions were constituted, in the absence of the two personnel representatives and they have requested documentation from the management to carry out the work, indicated the counselor, who has recalled that the complaints are confidential and has added So far, no report has been issued.
The counselor has continued explaining that concurrent circumstances could be commented on with the complaint of the two resident doctors, and cited the resignation of six of the seven assistants
After these resignations, the management of the Hospital de la Candelaria intervened in the Pediatric Surgery service and suspended the assistance activity, which was referred to the Hospital Universitario de Canarias (HUC), at the same time that the procedure to suspend the teaching accreditation was initiated.
A suspension of the teaching accreditation of the Pediatric Surgery service of the Hospital de la Candelaria that was admitted by the Ministry of Health.
This discrediting has led to the reassignment of the two resident doctors, third and fifth year, in centers on the Peninsula and, in order not to lose the care activity, the service has been reorganized, so that the University Hospitals of the Canary Islands and University Hospitals of La Candelaria make up a health area, the counselor pointed out.
The forecast is that this situation will continue for a year before “returning to normality”, but the counselor has asked that it should not be forgotten that there is a lack of professionals in this area, so that in the last Candelaria hiring list was deserted and no specialists were found in the Canarian, Spanish or European spheres.
The deputy of the Nationalist group Alberto Díaz Estébanez has shown his concern because a teaching accreditation that had been obtained in 2009 has been lost, as well as the dismantling of the Pediatric Surgery service.
In addition, Alberto Díaz Estébanez has criticized the lack of response from the hospital management to the complaint filed by the resident doctors, who “have been forced” to move to peninsular centers to continue training.
He added that the two doctors commented to the media that from the hospital center they had been told that the head of service was “untouchable”.
