The Spanish government has provided clarification regarding the voluntary admission of patients to the Gómez Ulla Hospital, addressing concerns that arose after a medical evacuation flight encountered difficulties. A medical aircraft that was evacuating two patients from Cabo Verde to the Netherlands, potentially infected with hantavirus from the MV Hondius cruise, made an unexpected stop in Gran Canaria due to a failure in its isolation bubble. The plane was initially scheduled to refuel in Marrakech, but Moroccan authorities denied it landing rights, prompting Spain to allow the aircraft to use the Canary Islands for this purpose.
Upon landing, medical personnel discovered an electrical system failure affecting one of the patients, who remains on board the plane with electrical support provided by the airport. Health Ministry sources have reported that this patient does not pose any risk to public health. The evacuation flight will remain on the runway until a replacement aircraft arrives from Oslo to complete the transfer of patients.
Virginia Barcones, the Director General of Civil Protection, mentioned in an interview with Cadena Ser that efforts were underway to resolve the technical issues with the isolation bubble, allowing passengers to continue their journey on the same aircraft. The Canary Islands government even offered a new team to facilitate this process, aiming to avoid the need for anyone to disembark and wait for a different plane.
However, the Health Ministry ultimately did not authorize the flight to take off with the batteries provided by the regional government, citing concerns over insufficient autonomy for a direct flight to the Netherlands, which would necessitate additional stops on the mainland. Meanwhile, the Canary Islands Government Delegation confirmed that it was a condition for the crew to land in Gran Canaria that no one would board or disembark from the aircraft, a requirement they insist was adhered to.
The medical evacuation flight had departed Cabo Verde at 11:00 AM, intending to stop in Marrakech around 4:00 PM to refuel before continuing to Amsterdam, where it was initially expected to arrive by 5:00 PM. Despite reports of a route change that indicated a second stop in Málaga, specialized flight tracking services like Flightradar24 have shown no plans for the aircraft to land in the Andalusian city, according to health sources.
The situation surrounding the MV Hondius cruise, with 146 individuals on board, has led to tensions between the Spanish government and the Canary Islands administration. This tension arose after the Spanish government, at the request of the World Health Organization, agreed to transfer the ship to Tenerife, a decision that the autonomous community opposes.
As reported by 20minutos.es.
