The Government of Castilla-La Mancha will approve an investment of 56 million euros on Tuesday, April 22nd to «guarantee» the home care service in the coming years, with a goal of reaching 7 million hours of care within the next five years.
As announced by the regional president, Emiliano García-Page, during the inauguration of a senior housing facility managed by the municipality in Montesclaros (Toledo), his government will reach almost 70 million in investment and social spending that will also be approved in collaboration with local councils.
«This is the kind of spending I enjoy the most. I always tell the Finance Minister, if you’re going to overspend, let it be on social services,» he boasted.
Garcia-Page has committed to ensuring that the region achieves 7 million hours of home care within the next five years, which «could mean over 1,000 new jobs, mostly for women, with 70% in rural areas.»
«Sometimes home care is the main business in a town,» he stated, emphasizing that since taking office as President of the Junta, home care has increased by 50%.
HEALTH AGREEMENT WITH CYL
On another note, Garcia-Page announced that «in a few days,» the autonomous community will renew and expand the agreement with Castilla y León to provide health services from Castilla-La Mancha in the Gredos area.
Garcia-Page noted that a significant portion of the population in this area receives medical attention in the region for hospital specialties and emergency care, with services provided in Talavera de la Reina.
«It’s striking that many towns in the southern province of Ávila are demanding that Castilla-La Mancha provide them with all health services, if possible, which cannot be done without neglecting services here,» he affirmed.
The goal is to share healthcare services between regions, complement each other, and improve service for citizens, the regional president emphasized.
HINOJOSA DE SAN VICENTE
Additionally, the regional president visited the town of Hinojosa de San Vicente in Toledo to firsthand observe the provision of home care services, which predominantly operate in rural areas, with nearly seven out of ten users located there.
Accompanying the regional leader were the Minister of Social Welfare, Bárbara García Torijano; the mayor of the town, Roberto Cano Vázquez; the regional delegate in Toledo, Álvaro Gutiérrez; the Director General of Social Action, Santiago Vera; and the provincial delegate of Social Welfare, Maximiliano Muñoz Hernández.
The Minister emphasized the importance of this visit, which she described as «very special,» highlighting «the opportunity to closely observe the operation of the Home Care Service in this municipality and see how professional, personalized care enables residents to continue living independently in their environment.» She thanked «the mayor of Hinojosa de San Vicente for his hospitality and commitment to the well-being of his residents, reflected in a service without waiting lists and with quality care.»
Currently, as detailed by García Torijano, almost 69% of the Home Care Service in Castilla-La Mancha is provided in municipalities at risk of depopulation, allowing thousands of elderly individuals to remain in their homes with professional, tailored care to meet their needs.
This commitment to rural areas is reflected in 667 active agreements by the regional government, through the Ministry of Social Welfare, within the framework of Concerted Plans, Supramunicipal agreements, and PRAS agreements.
Of these agreements, 459 are implemented in municipalities classified as at risk of depopulation. «This data shows that we are providing care where it is most needed,» the Minister affirmed, highlighting that the Home Care Service «is a key tool in our strategy to retain population, maintain life in our villages, and create employment in the care sector. It is a powerful network that we are reinforcing with a historic investment.»
The Minister of Social Welfare announced that «in the year 2025, with the new agreements that will be known very soon for the Home Care Service, we will increase the number of hours by about 130,000 in Castilla-La Mancha, reaching a total of over 5.3 million hours, which will also increase the number of beneficiaries.
«We are talking about nearly 40,000 beneficiaries of this Home Care Service, which is a significant commitment in these ten years of President Page’s government, where we have gone from 34 million euros in 2015 allocated to this service, to the 55.8 million that will be now, representing a significant investment and reinforcement of funding for public Social Welfare services,» she highlighted.