Canary Islands has registered a total of 1,753 people who died on the waiting list in the first seven months of the year, according to data from the State Association of Directors and Managers in Social Services made public this Friday. Of these, 1,202 were awaiting assessment and 551 were in 'dependency limbo', that is, with the right recognized but without having yet received the benefit.
The State Association of Directors and Managers in Social Services have warned that bureaucracy is delaying the recovery of the Spanish dependency care system, so that, despite the increase of 623 million euros, it is not being achieved that the autonomous communities significantly reduce waiting lists.
Through a statement, the entity indicates that waiting lists in the country have decreased by 2.2% (in 5,044 people) so far this year, but 139 people have died a day (one every ten minutes) "in the bureaucratic labyrinth of the law." "A total of 433,466 people remain abandoned, unattended, on the dependency waiting lists," denounced the directors and managers in social services.
In this sense, they point out that, according to the data presented by the Ministry of Social Rights in this matter, in the first seven months of 2021 a total of 29,157 people died on the dependency waiting lists (17,733 dependents with rights pending benefit and 11,424 pending resolution of degree) and that Asturias and the Community of Madrid are the CCAA with the highest number of deaths.
In addition, they point out, in Navarra and the Basque Country "the replacement rate has not even been maintained", which has led to a decrease in the number of beneficiaries of this care system, by 79 and 266 people, respectively.
In their opinion, these figures determine that "far from new speeches, photos and intentions", "urgent measures are necessary to avoid the suffering and abandonment of the most vulnerable people in the country" and asks the central and regional governments for "reforms that speed up procedures."
Specifically, they consider it "necessary to simplify procedures and apply measures of suspension and flexibility of the service or benefit without the need for a resolution of a new procedure." Similarly, they see it necessary to "advance towards the social prescription of the reference professional as the only requirement for the implementation of benefits."
The association insists that, although "the cuts of 2012 have already been recovered and budgets have been increased", it is necessary to "cut procedures to avoid the suffering and neglect of people in a situation of dependency, and the shame that 139 people die every day waiting for some procedure of the Law."
