Society

The decision by Spanish Government to restrict access to the public healthcare system could leave 600,000 people in Catalonia (8% of the population) without primary and specialised medical attention. 180,000 of these people would be foreigners. The Catalan Minister for Health, Boi Ruiz, explained that the measure aims to guarantee the universal access to healthcare to all the population, independent of their legal status, but at the same time avoid healthcare tourism.

Compared to a year ago, the Catalan Healthcare System spent 24.6% less last July than in the same month of 2011. In July 2011, Catalonia spent €143.52 million on pharmaceutical products while it spent €108.10 million last month, when the drug prescription fee began and citizens started to pay a greater share of the cost of prescription drugs. Furthermore, drug prescriptions fell by 20%. In the whole of Spain, pharmaceutical spending also decreased by 24% last July, compared to a year ago.

The new city government is considering the continuation of a project started by the last Mayor. The venture proposed by the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA), the specialist higher education institution co-founded by Paul McCartney, is to open a Barcelona version (BIPA) in the coastal town of Sitges. The previous proposals included a large scale urban development plan, however the new Sitges Town Council would now use existing buildings. A public competition to manage the project could be opened in the upcoming months.

After the Catalan Parliament’s ban on bullfighting approved in 2010, controversy between those in favour and those against bull festivities has been continuing for years now. The latest issue under discussion is the continuation of a specific bull event called the ‘correbous’ that takes place in the Ebro Delta area, in southern Catalonia. ‘Correbous’ are deeply rooted in the area’s tradition, organised to coincide with the towns’ patron saint parties, held during summertime. They are different from regular bullfighting and they have more similarities with Pamplona’s San Fermín festival, where people run in front of the bulls.

The City Council’s ban, totally prohibiting street prostitution, comes into force this Friday. The highest fines will be for clients, having to pay between €1,000 and €3,000. The fine for prostitutes will be significantly less, between €100 and €750, and might be exchanged for a labour integration course. In August, police will start with informing people about the new regulation, but in September fines will be enforced. The modification of the city’s regulation was approved last July with the votes of the Centre-Right Catalan Nationalist Coalition (CiU), which runs the city government, and the People’s Party (PP). Left-wing parties criticised the decision, emphasising it condemns prostitutes to further marginalisation.

It is expected that the heat wave will last from Thursday to Saturday and that temperatures will climb to at least 34ºC throughout Catalonia. The Catalan Government has closed eight forest areas of high risk and has limited agricultural activity. Civil Protection is on ‘pre-alert’ in 27 counties and firefighters have began pre-emptive surveillance of areas that will be at risk. In other developments, the Catalan Police have found DNA on the cigarette butt which started the fires in Portbou.

The Conca de Barberà County does not want to neglect the high number of immigrants living in Catalonia and is organising Arabic, Chinese, and Wolof language classes with native speakers as a pilot project. Wolof is a language spoken in Senegal, Gambia and Mauritania and has over 13 million speakers. The courses are designed to focus on the language, although there are aspects of tradition and custom taught in order to enhance the student’s exposure to other cultures.

Firefighters from Catalonia will be sharing their knowledge and experience of different types of fire. Catalan firefighters have experience with various kinds of fire because of Catalonia’s geographic diversity. The organisers of the bespoke courses designed for the varied conditions in Ireland, France and Wales, have stated that the accumulated experience “should not just remain in Catalonia but be taught internationally”.

The police have started an initiative to crack down on illegal services on Barcelona’s beaches, visited by 3.5 million people last summer. Between June and July, the police have dealt with nearly 4,500 complaints concerning street vendors, 93% more than in 2011. The operations have a dedicated unit of 70 officers to enforce the regulations on the beaches, working both in uniform and in plain clothes.

Catalonia’s Executive blames the Spanish Government for not having transferred all this month’s economic resources and creating serious financial problems for the Autonomies, compelled to pay other financial obligations first. Social care organisations state that the service is guaranteed but that some employees might not receive their salary in time. In addition, despite that they are looking for solutions with the Catalan Government, they criticise the bad planning and are having to look for last minute solutions. Catalonia’s opposition parties have forced the Catalan Finance and Social Affairs Ministers to explain the situation to the Catalan Parliament.

After several controversies regarding the possible transfer of the Zoo to outside Barcelona, management has opted for new breeding programs of species such as the Komodo dragon and also welcomes a new elephant. They have also decided to build a dolphinarium alongside the Zoo with private funding, which would end the project to create a marine zoo at the Forum.

Catalan interior minister Felip Puig said that weather conditions have improved for dealing with the fires in the Alt Empordà region, saying this morning that he was “reasonably optimistic” that the it would be under control this Tuesday. The fires are currently in a reasonably stable state. The blaze was started on Sunday by a discarded cigarette butt, affecting an area of 13.000 hectares. Weather conditions were favourable for tackling the blaze and remained so for much of Tuesday.

The Pro-Language Platform, an organisation that works to promote the Catalan language, reports that only 6% of products sold in supermarkets meet the Consumer Code of Catalonia, which requires that products are labelled in Catalan. In a study, the organisation revealed that the market is not yet standardised, claiming that 94% of products do not meet the law’s requirements and that this is disrespectful to the consumer. The organisation reports that although large multinational companies such as Danone, Nestle, Coca-Cola, Gillette and Philips respect the laws of other linguistic areas, they do not abide by the labeling requirements in Catalonia.

The death toll of the devastating wildfires in the Alt Empordà region, in north-east Catalonia, has risen to four this Monday, after a 64 year-old Frenchman died in hospital from his burns. He suffered 80% burns to his body. A father and daughter died on Sunday after jumping off a cliff to escape the flames in Portbou. A third man died of a heart attack in the small town of Llers. Eight injured people were admitted in hospitals in Catalonia. Six of them are in a critical condition, according to the Health Department. In total, forty-seven people have been treated for injures during the fires, although only eight remain in hospital.

All inhabitants in Alt Empordà, North-East Catalonia, are told to stay at home as forest fire rages out of control. A man and his daughter were killed in Portbou after jumping off a cliff to escape the flames. A third person died of a heart attack. Main roads and train lines in the area, including connections to southern France, have been cut off. Strong winds of up to 90 km/h have fanned the blaze, which started in the town of La Jonquera, near the border with France. There are already 13.000 hectares affected.