Knowing those who lead Coalición Canaria, it does not surprise me that they are more concerned about who is going to provide services to people with intellectual disabilities and those suffering from Alzheimer's and other dementias, instead of stopping to think about what the needs of these groups are and how the services provided to them can be improved.
Oswaldo Betancort and Coalición Canaria lie and know they are lying, manipulate and know they are manipulating, and play with the feelings of the families of those affected. You can't sink lower than lying, manipulating, and playing with the feelings of vulnerable people's families, because nothing is being taken away from them and nothing is being dismantled. What is happening is that the Cabildo is responsibly and legally assuming the exercise of its powers, thinking about providing the best possible service to these groups.
As is known, the different services for people with intellectual disabilities have been provided by the Association of People with Disabilities of Lanzarote (ADISLAN) for many years. Their trajectory and dedication during all this time deserve the utmost consideration and respect, but the problem is that ADISLAN has been operating for years without the coverage of a contract that clearly establishes the conditions of the service.
Exclusive reservation is illegal
As we have repeated on countless occasions, ADISLAN has been providing services on behalf of the Cabildo for years without legal coverage, which led to an opinion from the Canary Islands Advisory Council recognizing this situation of illegality and supporting the need to regularize it. Consequently, we are obliged to regularize this situation, so the Cabildo, which is the competent institution, has initiated the appropriate tenders for the different services provided.
The same happens with people suffering from Alzheimer's and other dementias, so the Cabildo is obliged to comply with the law and put out to tender the comprehensive management of the three care centers for the elderly that depend on the institution. Until now, these services have been provided by the Association of Relatives of Alzheimer's patients (AFA), a valuable work that we value and deserves all our recognition.
The obsessions of Oswaldo Betancort and other leaders of Coalición Canaria are reduced to the fact that they feel affected because, as the law establishes, some of the services provided by ADISLAN and AFA without a contract are going to be put out to public tender. It seems they don't like it, but Oswaldo Betancort and Coalición Canaria cannot expect that the care of these groups will be reserved exclusively for these associations, because it is contrary to law.
Future role of the third sector
We do not rule out in the immediate future offering a contest reserved for third sector entities to which both associations can compete, but our obligation today is to determine what services must be provided to these people and with the best possible quality.
But, leaving aside the demagoguery of Oswaldo Betancort and Coalición Canaria, what the families of people with intellectual disabilities or suffering from Alzheimer's and other dementias need to know are two things. First, the attention to the users is guaranteed, so at no time will the services stop being provided, nor should the users or their families worry in the slightest about a normal situation that occurs when any service changes concessionaire. And second, due to its conditions, the contest will significantly improve the services that have been provided until now.
On the other hand, the affected workers know that their jobs are guaranteed, since, when the new award occurs, the staff will be assumed by the new concessionaire company. Likewise, the working conditions will be maintained, and may even improve in cases with lower salaries. In short, these situations have to be regularized with transparency and free competition, through a public tender to which, by the way, these associations can also present themselves.
If the users of these services and their families have no reason to worry, if the workers also have no reason to worry, I wonder what is the real reason for the obsession of Oswaldo Betancort and Coalición Canaria. I reserve the answer.
Isabel Martín Tenorio, Councilor for Social Rights of the Cabildo de Lanzarote
