The Sóller health centre has been without air conditioning for several days due to a breakdown that cannot be repaired until next week. Patients and doctors are enduring high temperatures in a building with fixed windows that cannot be opened.
The Sóller health centre has been experiencing a breakdown in its air conditioning system for several days, leaving the facilities without air conditioning just as a heatwave causes temperatures to soar in the region. This incident has led to protests among users and discomfort among the medical staff, who are attending consultations in a hot and stifling environment.
A Key Spare Part Delays Repairs
According to Lluís Cerezo, the councillor for Health in Sóller, the Town Hall immediately reported the breakdown to Ibsalut, which sent technicians from the Government to attempt to repair the system. However, the specialists have detected a problem with a spare part that prevents the air conditioning from being restored quickly. Forecasts indicate that the air conditioning will not be operational until next week.
In the meantime, doctors must hold consultations in a hot environment, and patients are reporting that the high temperatures recorded in the building make waiting times “unbearable.” Complaints have increased as the incident has prolonged, and several users have expressed their dissatisfaction with the conditions in which healthcare is being provided.
“It’s unbearable to be sitting here waiting, with this heat you can hardly breathe,” lamented a patient while fanning herself with a brochure in the waiting room.
Fixed Windows Worsen the Situation
It has been noted that waiting patients have had to use fans and other items to cool themselves in a building where the large glass windows are fixed and cannot be opened. This lack of natural ventilation turns the interior into a veritable oven, especially during the central hours of the day.
For the residents of Sóller, who are currently enduring temperatures around 35 degrees, the situation presents an added setback when they seek essential services. “You come in feeling unwell and end up feeling worse from the heat,” joked a user upon leaving the centre.
The Town Hall hopes that the repairs can be completed as soon as possible to restore normalcy to an essential service that is currently affected by the lack of air conditioning. Meanwhile, Ibsalut is working to expedite the arrival of the necessary replacement, although no specific date has been provided beyond next week.
The breakdown has highlighted the need to maintain air conditioning systems in healthcare centres, especially during periods of extreme heat. Unions have already expressed their concern for the working conditions of staff, who must perform their duties in an environment that exceeds 30 degrees in many areas.
For now, patients in Sóller will have to be patient and, if possible, bring their own fan if they need to visit the health centre. The weather forecast indicates that the heat will remain intense over the coming days, so a return to normalcy is expected, at the earliest, next week.
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