Primary Care health centres in Andalusia will resume face-to-face appointments on 2 March, according to an announcement made on Wednesday by the Andalusian regional government’s Minister for Health and Families, Jesús Aguirre.
Before taking part in the ceremonies honouring those recognised in Córdoba for Andalusia Day, the minister explained that Salud Responde now allows appointments to be requested and continues to keep the telephone consultation option active.
Face-to-face appointments were suspended a year ago and replaced by telephone appointments, although in-person appointments were authorised when doctors considered it appropriate, depending on the seriousness of each case.
The minister pointed out that the centres will reopen with «caution» and that appropriate hygiene and health safety measures will be taken, such as temperature checks and separate channels for the care of patients with respiratory conditions.
He added that the aim is to «restore close patient care» while maintaining all safety measures, and he reminded the public that the new technologies and telephone care introduced during the pandemic «are here to stay».
Separately, Aguirre reported that vaccination of severely dependent people with serious mobility problems in their own homes will begin as soon as possible, once the protocol has been established for how to prepare and load the vaccines so that they can be transported.
The minister said he will raise this situation at the Interterritorial Council so that vaccination can begin «tomorrow or the day after», as until now it had not been possible because the transport of the vials could not be guaranteed under suitable conditions.
