Contradictions in the healthcare management of Rivas-Vaciamadrid
The City Council of Rivas-Vaciamadrid, under the leadership of the coalition Izquierda Unida-Más Madrid-Verdes Equo and the PSOE, is at the centre of a controversy due to its relationship with private healthcare. Despite openly criticising the private healthcare model and its implementation in the Community of Madrid, it has allocated over 225,000 euros to contracts with Quirón Prevención since 2021.
According to official documents from the council, the contracts have been recurrent over the past five years. In January 2021, an initial contract worth 38,545 euros was awarded, which was extended for an additional year. Subsequently, in February 2023, another contract was signed for 38,858.89 euros, also extended until 2024. The latest contract was made in March 2025, reaching a total of 67,964.35 euros.
In addition to this amount, there is a private medical insurance for municipal officials that this year amounts to nearly 483,000 euros. This situation has led the opposition to accuse the mayor Aída Castillejo, from the Izquierda Unida party, of acting cynically by criticising a model that she herself utilises.
Local leaders of the Popular Party have denounced this contradiction as a clear example of “do as I say, not as I do.” According to them, these actions demonstrate that the municipal government uses public healthcare as an ideological tool to attack the Popular Party and the regional government led by Isabel Díaz Ayuso.
As criticism mounts, many citizens are beginning to question whether there is a genuine commitment from the City Council towards a real improvement of the public healthcare system or if it is merely a political strategy to gain electoral support. The mayor has intensified her reproaches towards the current healthcare model, calling for more resources for primary care while maintaining financial ties with private companies.
As the debate on these ethical and financial issues progresses, it is clear that citizens deserve clear answers about how their public resources are managed and what kind of healthcare they want for their community. The decisions made today will directly influence the future of the local healthcare system and its ability to adequately meet the needs of all residents.
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