Residents of Jaca secure 24 hour mobile intensive care unit

Residents of Jaca, a town in the Huesca province of Spain, secured a 24-hour mobile intensive care unit (UVI) following a three-year campaign for better emergency medical services.

The local community and a dedicated neighborhood platform campaigned to ensure that a doctor would be present on the mobile unit at all times, rather than just during daytime hours. The dispute began in June 2023 when a new health transport contract reduced medical coverage.

While the UVI remains available, it transitioned to a system where only nursing staff lead the vehicle during nights and weekends. This change left the town without a doctor on-site during critical periods. Local officials and residents argued that a UVI must include a doctor to perform life-saving procedures like intubation on the road.

The campaign gained momentum after a 64-year-old French tourist suffered a cardiac arrest in the summer of 2023 and died because the available ambulance lacked a doctor to perform necessary interventions. The neighborhood platform organized protests, met with political parties, and pressured the Government of Aragón to restore full coverage. After several years of negotiations and partial successes, the government announced that the UVI would finally have a doctor available 24 hours a day starting on October 23.

The victory comes as Jaca faces other infrastructure challenges. The local government is currently seeking more resources for schools to accommodate a growing student population and is working to increase affordable housing for permanent residents.