This afternoon, the Secretary of Health of the Municipality of Concordia, Mauro García, refuted the accusations of “persecution and harassment of municipal employees” made by the mayoral candidate for Juntos por Entre Ríos, Francisco Azcue. Precisely, an a video released on social media, Azcue had referred to the situation of Nélida Vedoya, a health worker who reported having been removed from her duties due to her political activism in favor of the radical candidate.
“The mayor Enrique Cresto entrusted me to intervene in this matter and that is what we are doing," said García, "I summoned Nélida to talk about what happened, analyze the circumstances surrounding the situation, and find the best way to resolve the raised conflict,” detailed the Secretary of Health after receiving Vedoya in his office.
“In principle, I understand that there was a change of teams in the territory, as is customary to optimize work, and that this may have led to some misunderstanding. In any case, no one was left without a job, nor were there any measures regarding salaries or bonuses. However, the best way to clarify things is by listening to everyone, which is why we asked our officials for explanations and I met with Nélida to listen to her as well,” revealed the doctor.
HEALTH WITHOUT POLITICAL AFFILIATIONS
“Under the administration of mayor Cresto, great progress has been made in terms of public health policies. From preventive campaigns and the strengthening of the primary care network through works, improvements, and equipment in health centers, to the different programs we have underway and the strong presence of the municipality in the neighborhoods through territorial operations and approaches,” highlighted García.
“These advances are intended for residents and families of all political preferences, without us ever having asked anyone which party they belonged to in order to deny them care or treat them better than others. Much less will we do so with the personnel who work in these same programs,” argued the professional.
“But just as we are respectful of everyone's political choice, we also demand that our programs and institutional tools be respected as such, and that they not be anyone's political instrument. This is an especially sensitive issue in areas such as health or social development, where changes are already being implemented to prevent anyone from being confused or acting improperly,” he also warned.
“In the municipality, we do not persecute those who think differently, nor do we allow the political use of programs or public resources,” insisted the doctor. “Outside of working hours and in the private sphere, anyone can work and campaign politically for the candidate of their preference; but when serving the public or performing work duties, one cannot campaign in favor of this or that party,” remarked the head of the health department.
“In this case, we are going to listen to the parties, as the mayor entrusted us, we are going to clarify what needs to be clarified, and we will find the best way to resolve this issue. With the same intention, we open the doors of the Secretariat to the mayoral candidate Francisco Azcué, because we believe he should know more and better about the health policies and programs we have underway, because sometimes in a campaign people talk about what they do not know or promise what has already been done, and it is important to have a better diagnosis to enrich the quality of the democratic debate,” concluded García.