Packed in like sardines

MALLORCA and the Balearics have one of the worst-funded, most overcrowded health care systems in Spain according to a devastating new report from the National Statistics Institute. 

Decades of mismanagement, paltry funding and debt have led to a chaotic health service with public facilities swamped by patients offered a steadily falling quality of care. 

This is despite the region actually contributing more than its fair share in taxes to Madrid, which has a huge say in how much money Mallorca and the islands have to spend on local residents. 

Last year local hospitals treated 11,475 people out of every 100,000, far above the Spanish national average of 10,228. 

Dealing with concerns from the 12 million plus tourists who visited last year, running the full gamut from colds to balcony falls, was a factor, but the real culprit is believed to be a gaping €200 billion black hole in the region’s finances.