A resident of Playa Honda who is at risk of going blind and who should be checked by an ophthalmologist "every three months" has reported that she has been "waiting for a year and two months" for an appointment at the Molina Orosa Hospital. "There is a waiting list that you can't see and they tell me that there are no ophthalmologists," says Silvia de Renovales, who describes the situation of public health on the island as a "joke." "There is no right for this to happen. But where are we living?", she asks.
Silvia is 50 years old and about five years ago she was diagnosed with bilateral serous retinopathy for which she now only sees five percent and has a recognized disability of 80%. "I was working then at the airport and my health went from one day to the next, that I couldn't see well, that I couldn't see the boarding passes...", says this woman, who at first decided to go to a private doctor, although she later turned to Social Security. "Because I need some injections and each injection in private costs 1,500 euros," she says.
Thus, she points out that for almost four years she was being treated at the Doctor Negrín Hospital in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria because Lanzarote did not provide the treatment she needed. "But once they started injecting in Lanzarote, they referred me here," says Silvia de Renovales, who says that then the problems began. And it is that, she has been "waiting for a year and two months" for an appointment, despite the fact that she says she needs "check-ups every three months."
Claims to the hospital without solution
"I need to check myself every so often to see if I have fluid and if I have fluid they inject me and then during that time I see better. And then, apart from that, seeing 5%, they have to look at me every three months because I can have a detached retina and many other things," explains this resident of Playa Honda, who claims to have gone on different occasions to complain to the hospital without success.
"I spoke with the head of Patient Care and he told me that it was a matter for management, because there are no ophthalmologists, because some have been given a place in their land and others are on leave. And I spoke with the secretary of management and she told me that she was going to pass the case to the manager and that in 15 days they would call me, but this was a month and a half ago and nothing," says this woman, who demands a solution. "If there are no ophthalmologists in Lanzarote, then look for them, and if not, send me to Las Palmas, Madrid, Barcelona or a private clinic here, wherever, I don't care, but I need an ophthalmologist, I can't be in this situation," she demands
"I am depressed because I feel like no one is paying attention to me"
Silvia also says that she has a twin sister with the same problem, who in her case has been "waiting for a year and seven months" to be summoned. "And my husband got cataracts and lost his job because they didn't call him. And a year and a half later they finally operated on one eye, but they haven't done the appropriate check-up and he's seeing badly. They don't know what this is affecting my life, that I have a 15-year-old girl who is taking care of both of us. Do you think this is normal?", she questions.
Thus, this woman has decided to publicly denounce her case, because she even claims to be suffering from "depressions" as a result of not getting the health care she needs. "This has meant many depressions for me, suddenly losing my sight, losing my job, not being able to drive, completely changing my life... And six months ago I stopped taking the pills and again with the depressions because I feel that no one is paying attention to me," she says.
"And I know that in Social Security we are a number, but my life is difficult enough already so that I don't have an ophthalmologist to check me, that I am seeing worse. And I know that sooner or later I am going to go blind, because this is degenerative, but control it for me, because I have to fight for this 5% that I have with tooth and nail," adds Silvia de Renovales, who considers that "there is no right for this to happen in Lanzarote." "And the same thing happens to many people. And I am a fighter, but there will be old people who feel helpless. This is no longer just for me", she concludes.
