The PSOE of Lanzarote has denounced that the plenary session held this Thursday in the Cabildo "once again made it evident that the Minister of Social Welfare, Marciano Acuña, is overwhelmed by the serious situation detected in the nursing homes managed by Amavir, while the island president, Oswaldo Betancort, continues to shield with his silence a management marked by a lack of control, transparency, and responses".
The spokesperson for the Socialist Group in the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Ariagona González, pointed out that Acuña “was not able to state unequivocally that normality has been recovered in the residences” and that, despite the seriousness of the known facts, he remains stuck in the “we are on it,” awaiting new information from the concessionaire company itself to decide whether or not to open a file.
“Marciano Acuña demonstrated in the plenary that he does not have political control of the situation. He continues to wait for papers, continues to wait for explanations from Amavir, and continues without giving a clear answer to the families or the elderly people who depend on these resources,” stated González.
The socialist spokesperson was especially critical that the counselor has conveyed the feeling of waiting for the company itself to order its version of events, complete the pending information, and set the timeline for the institutional response.
“It gives the impression that Marciano Acuña is more concerned with waiting for Amavir to order its explanations than with demanding accountability from it. Instead of acting as a supervisory administration, he seems to be in a waiting position, as if he needed the company to complete the narrative before deciding whether or not to open a file,” reproached González.
Ariagona González recalled that 57 days have already passed since the PSOE made public its complaint about the situation of the Amavir residences and stressed that subsequent inspections have confirmed the veracity of the facts denounced.
“The Cabildo’s responsibility is not to wait for Amavir to tell them what happened; it is to oversee, demand accountability, and protect the users,” he maintained.
In this regard, González warned that political responsibility does not fall solely on the Minister of Social Welfare, but also on the president of the Cabildo. “Oswaldo Betancort cannot continue hiding behind Marciano Acuña. His silence is no longer prudence or caution: it is political complicity with a way of managing that protects the company before the elderly,” he stated.
"The Cabildo should have acted forcefully from the first minute"
The socialist spokesperson insisted that, given facts of this gravity, the Cabildo would have had to act forcefully from the first minute, reinforcing inspection, monitoring, and direct control over the provision of the service.
“Marciano Acuña should have been on top of the situation, almost moving into the residence if necessary, and personally guaranteeing that the elderly people were being cared for in dignified conditions. We are not talking about any administrative procedure; we are talking about the dignity, safety, and well-being of elderly people who depend on a public service,” he added.
For the PSOE, what happened in the plenary session confirms that the government of CC and PP does not have a clear roadmap to face the situation of the residences nor the real will to assume political responsibilities. “When a company manages an essential public service, the Cabildo cannot limit itself to waiting for explanations. It has to control, act and, if there are breaches, sanction,” said González.
“Elderly people cannot wait for the counselor to finish gathering papers or for Amavir to set the pace. They need protection, monitoring, and answers now. Today Marciano Acuña showed in the plenary session that he is overwhelmed, and Oswaldo Betancort once again showed that he prefers to look the other way rather than assume his responsibility,” he concluded.