During the event, held under the slogan “Together we make health,” García and Testa, accompanied by the Councilor for Public Health, Consumer Affairs and Animal Welfare, Alessandra Romero Guijarro, highlighted that health is built beyond hospitals, within neighborhoods and daily life. Both leaders emphasized the need for a comprehensive vision of health, encompassing medical care as well as factors like housing, green spaces, and working conditions.
“"Health is not only defended in hospitals or health centers, but also in neighborhoods, in daily life, and in the community network that sustains the city."
Minister García expressed gratitude for the momentum of this mobilization in Alcorcón, stressing that the future of the healthcare system depends not only on health centers but also on the involvement of municipalities and associations. She advocated for the role of local corporations and organized civil society in promoting community health and a primary care system rooted in the territory.
For her part, Mayor Testa valued the Health Week as an initiative seeking to assert the right to health from a community perspective. The mayor linked this idea to the city model, arguing that “any healthy city will ultimately be livable” and that health is built from the local level, through prevention and neighborhood involvement.
“"What we want is to also demand that the Community of Madrid do its job."
In her speech, Testa framed the event within the 40th anniversary of the General Health Law, highlighting this system as a pillar of the State. She took the opportunity to call on the Community of Madrid to strengthen the regional healthcare system, which she considers deteriorated, and to ensure optimal functioning from primary care to specialized and mental health services.
