In hill towns, public health depends on transportation. Because, if there is no specialist, what is the use of an ambulance coming to your house? In Jaca (Huesca), since June 2023, the city’s mobile ICU goes out at night without it. Now he is dating again. Social struggles, which involve togetherness and conversation, sometimes have a happy ending. This is why the inhabitants of the city know that it is not a gift: it is a debt collection, thanks to a platform of neighbors who did not give up and have been complaining for 3 years and 4 months.
Where does it come from? As of May 2023, Jacka was a daytime doctor and nurse in the ICU. At night, on weekends and holidays, both were on local guard: ready to go out at a moment’s notice. On June 1, a new Aragonese agreement for emergency medical transport came into force. And removed those guards. The reason? Because he thought they were not needed.
But that is to deny its true usefulness. Because it is an ICU, an ICU on wheels, an ambulance with a doctor, nursing staff and driver, and it must carry material to resuscitate, stabilize or intubate a patient on the road if needed. Its version without a doctor, the SVAE, uses the same vehicle but leaves the infirmary in charge. What happened in Zakaa was that the ICU doctor was limited to 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. The rest of the time, SVAE.
Other regional hospitals, such as Barbastro, Calatayud or Alcanize, experienced something similar.
in certain cases. In the summer of 2023, the mayor (of PP), Carlos Serrano, told a scenario. A 64-year-old French tourist suffered a heart attack over the weekend. SVAE attended him. According to the mayor’s story, he got into the ambulance himself, was unable to intubate without a doctor, and died inside. We had to complain to a doctor at the health center and the UME of Sabinanigo.
It was an insult. No one except the doctor certified the death and the coroner removed the body as ordered by the court. Jacka had more than 2 hours without an emergency ambulance. And while the case does not prove that a doctor would have saved her, it does prove that, without those experts, at least the measures that would have been taken in an ICU could not have been attempted.
Has the health responded? The Aragon government, which inherited the specifications from the previous legislature, said there was a shortage of doctors, which had to be cut because two professionals were needed to cover 24 hours with a training course. Debate increased: lack of organization?
In any case, José Luis Banquelero (the counselor at the time) assured that the full ICU would be reached as soon as the doctors showed up. At the beginning of 2025, health called an examination. According to the platform, there were no fixed positions: it offered interim positions if three qualified doctors agreed to work only on weekends.
The fight begins. “UVI Mobile Zaka Platform, we need it!” He organized speeches, rallies and demonstrations in the town of Zasetania. He appeared before the Cortes of Aragon, went to the Justices of Aragon, and met all the parties.
In December 2024, the CSIF union denounced that Huesca’s UVI was closing in on Jaca and Barbastro. The mayor then accused the group of responding to the PSOE’s political interests. The platform maintained that it had no color behind it, which was families in need.
Victory in installments. On April 4, 2025, UVI was a doctor 24 hours a day, Friday through Sunday and on holidays. 4 nights were left: Monday to Thursday, again SVAE. In February 2026, the City Council presented a formal complaint: 061 withdrew the doctor from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm on Sundays to cover sick leave in Sabinanigo.
In June, the mayor complained to health about those four nights from the new councillor. The fight lasted until October 1, when the results were announced and health set the date: October 23. And since yesterday, October 26, there is an ICU 24 hours any day of the week and year. I hope someone needs it.
And now The platform celebrated this with a statement that read “We did it!” Thank you to everyone who signed, marched or shared their message. And remember that the reason was not his, but the entire region.
The mayor is constantly asking for support because, while the population is growing (14,025 are already registered according to INE), neither is housing or healthcare. This battle was won by the residents of the city, retirees, families, people who work in Zesetania all year round, and when there was time, there was no office. 1,240 days have been in action.
Stress everywhere. Population pressures in Zaka are felt in other services as well. Education centers also began the 2026-2027 academic year demanding more space and resources to meet student growth and special educational needs. Children and primary schools find it necessary to create a new center, while institutes face the challenge of expanding their own organization and training offer.
In terms of housing, according to the Housing Forum, more than 9,000 houses are second homes. The city council admits it has not built public housing for two decades and defends the need to expand the affordable offer, adding competition to tourist and seasonal rentals, which are more profitable for some owners than contracts for permanent residents.
It’s the same as always: Jaka needs workers to sustain its tourism but finding stable housing becomes a difficult journey for those who want to settle there. The Dignified Housing Platform has already called for measures to prioritize residential use, while administrations study new promotions and affordable rental formulas. Again, mercenaryism excludes populations with fewer resources.
Picture | Government of Aragon (news link)
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