The communication errors and delays in breast cancer screening in Andalusia are a major scandal of administrative mismanagement and a human tragedy for many families. Every day, more women are affected by this medical disaster: many received a delayed diagnosis and treatment after not being informed that the early detection program was inconclusive, meaning that the result they had received could be wrong. It truly is enormous. And yet, from the outset, the Andalusian Ministry of Health minimized the problem. Finally, faced with the evidence of a scandal that has been growing in number of affected people, the Andalusian government of Moreno Bonilla admitted this botched job with potentially terrible consequences and ended up estimating the number of potential victims at 2,000. At the current rate, it's possible that there will be more. Lawyers are overwhelmed: dozens of new cases arrive every day.
We are facing a full-blown disaster: the lives of many people—mostly women—who trusted in the public health system, which is what saves you when things go wrong, have literally been put at risk. In this case, that hasn't been the case. There has been tremendous negligence. Of course, the credibility of Moreno Bonilla's Popular Party executive has been damaged, especially when it comes to a president who has championed good management and who, ultimately, has been forced to dismiss his advisor, Rocío Hernández. But beyond a political spin-off that could end up costing Moreno Bonilla his reelection, there is also a loss of confidence in the health system, which is an even more serious issue.
In an advanced society, with a solvent welfare state, citizens know that their basic needs are covered: in this case, they trust that if they suffer a serious illness, there will be a public health system to look after them. When this fails, everything fails. How can these women trust the medical system from now on, and more specifically, the Andalusian Health Service? In fact, this service has already received complaints even homicide. Clearly, there are deaths that could have been avoided.
Right now, the Andalusian Prosecutor's Office has three complaints pending and is waiting to receive others that have already been publicly announced in order to consolidate them and assess how to proceed. In any case, the Public Prosecutor's Office will surely have to open an investigation into the events. In fact, it is still unknown—or has been refused to reveal—where the system error occurred. The lack of transparency only creates more doubts and reinforces legitimate social outrage. Furthermore, no concrete and detailed plan has been activated to prevent a similar situation from happening again. And then, beyond the investigation and prevention efforts to avoid a repeat of the disaster, those affected will need to receive at least some form of financial compensation. Those responsible must be identified, and the administration must bear the cost of compensating the victims.
