The plenary session of Parliament unanimously decided on Wednesday to transfer the matter to the Council of the Congress of Deputies to deal with the matter. proposed law concerning free healthcare for minors of optical and visual health products presented by Grupo Mixto-Adelante Andalucía.
At a future plenary session, the appointment of the Andalusian deputies responsible for defending the bill before the Congress of Deputies, as explained by the President of the Chamber, Jesús Aguirre.
The law is made up of a single article, which modifies article 8 ter of law 16/2003, of May 28, on the cohesion and quality of the national health system, and adds a new article 18 bis.
In the case of article 8, it is amended to include two aspects: On the one hand, they include the supply of optical and visual health products within the common complementary portfoliothus adding a new area to those already existing on pharmaceutical services, orthoprosthetic services and dietary products, and, on the other hand, point 6 is created, in which it is established that this service will be completely free for minors and that a system must be put in place so that adults pay contributions according to their purchasing power.
The creation of a new article, 18 bis, aims to define the benefits of optical and visual health products, within the framework of the definitions of other benefits that are included in the common supplementary portfolio of the national health system. Finally, an additional provision is added to ensure that the resources necessary for the development of the new right established in the law are transferred to the autonomous communities.
In summary, this law aims to establish “as a right access to optical and visual health products, such as glasses, contact lenses, magnifying glasses, lenses, products for the maintenance of this or others, necessary in the event of difficulties or pathologies linked to visual health“, and, for this purpose, an expansion of the service portfolio of the national health system is established, which is established in Law 16/2003, of May 28, on the cohesion and quality of the national health system.
To defend the initiative, the spokesperson for Grupo Mixto-Adelante Andalucía, José Ignacio Garcíasaid that it was essential in Andalusia to open a debate on “visual poverty”, that is, there are citizens who cannot access buy glasses or contact lenses And, taking this into account, it is necessary to establish an additional right in the portfolio of Social Security services. He said he disagreed with the Health Ministry’s approach to establishing a series of grants because it will always depend on “budgetary availability and political will.”
For his part, Beatriz Jurado, deputy of the PP-A said that the Andalusian Government is focused on guaranteeing the rights and benefits of Andalusians and that this new law undoubtedly represents an enrichment in this sense. It is an example, as he pointed out, that beyond ideological differences, borders can be “abolished” and rights can be promoted through agreement between parties. He stressed that Andalusia is today an example of “leadership” in Spain.
During his speech he criticized the central government for not providing the necessary resources to Andalusia and indicated that It is the regional Parliament which promotes the measures to improve the lives of citizens.
PSOE-A parliamentarian Pilar Navarro made a mark during her mandate “bittersweet” intervention today “even though we should be completely happy for having approved an initiative that will benefit many people, especially children who need it in Andalusia, and surely unanimously”, and justified this adjective, on the one hand, with a “revealing” fact, that “Today, around 55% of Andalusians wear glasses or contact lenses” in this community, a figure lower than the Spanish average, which is “around 61-62%”, as he explained.
The socialist deputy argued that “this difference corresponds to Andalusians who live below the poverty line, many of whom are children”, and is, as she explained, “sad assessment” of the self-proclaimed “government of change” of Juanma Moreno, who he also criticized for not having made this initiative “his own” by “increasing the SAS service portfolio”.
Protection of children’s rights
THE Ana María Ruiz Vázquez, deputy of Vox declared that such a measure had an impact on improving the quality of life of minors and considered that in addition to vision, hearing plays an essential role in cognitive development of children. He said many parents cannot afford glasses, hearing aids or dental care. The measure envisaged in the law contributes to the protection of children’s rights. He added that Andalusian and Spanish health, in general, must have priorities such as caring for the most vulnerable.
He the deputy spokesperson for the Por Andalucía Group, Juan Antonio Delgado, defended that this measure This is “social justice” and it is even better understood after the latest data on poverty and social exclusion rates in Andalusia. “People can’t make ends meet and can’t afford unexpected expenses,” said Delgado, who said free glasses are a “fair” idea that already exists in advanced countries. He stressed that citizens’ access to optical products must be guaranteed, emphasizing that this is a matter of “equality, dignity and justice.”
