Five years have passed since the people of Elche saw an historic dream come true with the opening of the city’s second hospital. And five years is long enough to be able to draw some conclusions about the launch of what has been the most important health project in the province of Alicante in recent years which, frankly, I think will continue to be so for years to come.
A project that became a reality as the result of the collaboration of the private sector with the public administration, a partnership which enabled the hospital to be built within established timeframes, for example, fulfilling the commitment to citizens. A project that has created jobs and stable employment in Valencia in what is likely the most difficult economic environment in our country’s recent history.
A project that, after five years, is now backed by outcomes in healthcare and quality that position it among the top hospitals in the public health network, according to the periodic ranking by the Health Department. A project in which the best professionals, formed by a team motivated to join the project, represent the perfect combination of experience, hope, knowledge, effort and a passion for the job above all. And a project that, with its recent designation as a University Hospital, will contribute to training the best healthcare professionals of tomorrow in order to continue providing the best public service today and in the future.
For all these reasons the people of Aspe, Hondón de las Nieves, Hondón de Los Frailes, Crevillente and Elche can be proud of their hospital and all the professionals who continually strive to offer excellent care at both the hospital and the primary care centres.
These past five years have been marked by the establishment of the health concession model and its development in other regions of Spain and abroad, where the most advanced countries in Europe have made the strongest commitment to public-private partnerships as a way to help maintain the quality and sustainability of the welfare state. This period was also highly relevant in terms of the consolidation of a system of networking applied to health management, a system pioneered by the Vinalopó Department of Health. Working together with the Torrevieja Department of Health, significant progress has been made in a multihospital model of networking between departments, networking with the Valencian Public Administration, with research and education networks…the outstanding results of these past five years should serve as a stimulus for further improvement, because to be the best, we have to be ambitious and set higher goals, while staying humble and learning from other experiences, adapting to the needs of changing society.
These are undoubtedly times of change, and sometimes change creates uncertainty. But as Confucius said, “they must often change who would be constant in happiness or wisdom”. And this is a reality. The Ribera Salud healthcare model is a model that has changed. Launched in a single hospital (Alzira), it was incorporated into primary care centres a few years later. It was designed to be a model for the Valencian Community, and today there are different examples of public-private healthcare partnerships in many countries in the European Union and beyond, and it has become a model studied by international universities and institutions.
But in these changing times there is something a company which provides such an essential public service as healthcare should never change; its values, values that Vinalopó, the newest project of Ribera Salud Group, perfectly represents.
Institutional loyalty, because as concessionaires we work together with the public administration, sharing a long-term vision, solidarity and transparency.
Commitment to the citizens and patients we serve, the result of our passion for public service.
Commitment to our professionals and their development, training, motivation and recognition.
Efficient and responsible management that contributes to the sustainability of the Spanish National Health Service as it faces important challenges.
Spirit of continuous improvement, with clinical management and the implementation of new healthcare models that allow for more personalised medicine, coupled with the best technology and information systems.
Those of us who have had been fortunate enough to actively participate in the development of this project know from experience that each and every one of the projects managed by Ribera Salud has its particular characteristics. But in each and every project, the patient takes precedence over everything else.
We are ready to continue working with and for the patient, to remain a leader in healthcare, to continue to develop all the work accomplished in recent years, providing the highest quality service, supporting and defending our professionals, and contributing innovation to the public health system. And we are ready, because we know that people want modern, advanced, and people-friendly healthcare; a healthcare model like that represented by Vinalopó and its professionals.
