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In times of coronavirus, it is forbidden to talk about it. That is the slogan that the managing director of the Andalusian Health Service (SAS), Miguel Ángel Guzmán , has transferred to all its staff, made up of 101,978 workers. On April 1, the managing director of SAS sent a circular to all "health and non-health professionals" working in hospitals and public health centers prohibiting them from "communicating data on coronavirus patients."

In a two-page letter, held by EL MUNDO, the managing director of the SAS reminds public health professionals that they have the "obligation" to "keep secret about any information they access, in the exercise of their professional activity, related to patients affected by the coronavirus, as well as those matters that have been reserved, by regulation, within the scope of the Ministry of Health ».

After the declaration of the state of alarm, the central government has reserved the power to make the epidemiological information public, that relating to the situation of the assistance capacity, that related to the needs of material resources and human resources, according to the circular from the SAS managing director to his staff.

Sources of the Ministry of Health specified to this newspaper that the circular is only intended to be a reminder of the obligations contained in the Data Protection Law and on the indications of the Ministry of Health when communicating cases of coronavirus with the declaration of the alarm status. The community has the obligation to transfer this updated information every day to the Ministry and, when the latter makes it public, the Ministry informs the citizens.

However, health sources consulted by this newspaper pointed out that the workers are receiving "touches of attention" and "pressure" so that they do not broadcast videos on social networks denouncing the lack of masks and protective equipment.

This is "caciquismo"

«We are completely sold, without material and on top we cannot count it. This is total caciquismo, ”complains a nurse from Seville who prefers to remain anonymous to avoid possible retaliation. This worker, along with other colleagues, had recorded a video in which they show the homemade protective suits made by individuals with garbage bags and plastic from the greenhouses. They tried to spread it through the media to thank all the altruistic work of the neighbors who had collaborated, but they have finally backed down, after learning of the "pressures" received by other SAS professionals.

The sources of the Ministry of Health showed their surprise at the complaint of these workers because currently, according to the Board, there are masks in all hospitals and health centers. The nurse with whom this newspaper spoke denies it. «A box of masks arrives for the whole week and with that there is no».

At the moment, the SAS has not opened any disciplinary file to the workers, said the sources of the Ministry of Health. However, among many professionals there is discouragement and fear. To the threats by the diffusion of the videos it is added that this Sunday there were 1,949 Andalusian health workers infected with Covid-19.

This high number of infected among health personnel represented 23.4% of the total number of infected in Andalusia on Sunday (8,301 positive cases). In addition, as unions have denounced, the Andalusian percentage of toilets is much higher than the national percentage, which a few days ago was around 14%.

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  • Seville
  • Andalusia
  • Coronavirus
  • Covid 19

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