Spanish government proposes prison sentences for driving offences

The Spanish parliament has passed a bill this week proposing that the Penal Code should be reformed to include people who drink and drive and drivers who break the speed limit. The bill was passed with 296 votes in favour, 2 abstentions but with no votes against it. However, the Royal Automobile Club for Spain (RACE) has criticised this measure saying that prison sentences for drivers should only be used as a last resort and that it was more important to move towards preventative policies.

According to the RACE the driving licence points system has already become less effective in the space of just one year. It attributes this loss of effectiveness to three motives: the lack of agents whose job it is to look out for driving infractions on the roads, slow and inefficient administration and the lack of collaboration between a lot of town halls, some of which do not follow procedures for taking away driving licence points. RACE claims that sending drivers to prison is not a viable solution and the penal code should only be used as the last resort.

The results of a survey carried out by RACE show that 32% of drivers say that they haven’t modified their behaviour because of the threat of driving licence points while 27% say they have reduced the speed at which they drive.

The bill approved this week could become law before the end of the year. It fixes new limits which if broken could result in a driver being sentenced to between 3 to 6 months in prison. These are driving over 200 km p/h on the motorway, driving over 180 km p/h on a dual carriageway and driving over 110 km p/h in an urban area. The same applies to a driver who is found to have more than 1.2 grams of alcohol in their blood per litre.

During the parliamentary debate on Tuesday, Socialist MP Victorino Mayoral said that "those cowboys who think they are the only drivers on the road should not be able to impose their own laws" and reminded parliament of the declarations made by José María Aznar, the former Spanish Prime Minister, who several weeks ago said that he didn’t like anyone telling him how fast to drive or how much alcohol to drink. On the other hand the PP spokesperson for road safety, Federico Subirón asked the government to develop real policies to improve road safety.

Related: New driving laws in Spain
Penalty points system introduced in Spain

Cocaine consumption in Spain on the rise

Cocaine Consumption in Spain is now higher than in the USA

For the first time in history, the rate of cocaine use in Spain for citizens between 15 to 64 years old is more than that recorded in the US. It is also 4 times the average for the rest of Europe according to the results of the World Report into Drugs 2007 carried out by the UN department against Drugs and Crime.

Thomas Pietschmann, director of the report, told the press yesterday that while cannabis use has stabilized in Spain, cocaine use has shot up and is now a serious problem given that 1 out of every 5 European users are in Spain.

The report was published to coincide with the World Day Against Drugs yesterday. The investigation found that the consumption and production of illegal drugs in the world has stabilized. However, in Spain illegal drug use has doubled since 1999 (1.6% of the population between 15 to 64 years old) to 3% in 2005 - a percentage that none of the other hundred countries included in the UN study reached.

The Spanish percentage is 4 times higher than in the rest of Europe where the average is 0.75% and more than double the average for Western Europe which is 1.2%. The report also found that in Secondary Schools illegal drug use has gone up from 1.8% over a decade ago to 7.2% in 2005 (in 2002 it was 6.2%).

Pietschmann also highlighted that in the results from another independent study based on the residue from cocaine production found in rivers, between 2005 and 2006 in Miranda de Ebro (Burgos) on average 97 lines were consumed everyday for every thousand inhabitants between 15 and 64 years old.

Out of all the cities included in that study only New York came out higher with an average of 134 lines of cocaine consumed while Washington only registered 56, San Francisco 31, London and Zúrich 20, and París 11. In contrast only 5 lines were found to be consumed per thousand inhabitants in Aranda de Duero, the other Spanish locality included in the study.

The Rolling Stones in Spain

A Bigger Bang Tour: The Rolling Stones in San Sebastian, Spain

Last night the Rolling Stones played in Anoeta Stadium, San Sebastian for the first time in their long careers spanning 4 decades. It was their second concert on the Bigger Bang Tour in Spain (the first was in Barcelona last Thursday).

Although the concert hadn’t sold out the stadium was packed. The enormous stage set was awesome and that was before the concert had even begun. It consisted of a large screen with what looked like spirals coming out of each side, a bit like the Guggenheim in New York.

The Stones were due to come on at 22.00 hours,15 minutes later they sprung onto the stage and kicked the evening off with a lively version of Start Me Up.

Mick Jagger, who greeted the stadium in Basque, moved around the stage with an enormous amount of energy and fluidity. The ever dependable Charlie Watts was at the back on the drums while Ronnie wood and Keith Richards flanked Jagger.

The set consisted of 19 songs which included their most recent material but was based around their classics like Jumping Jack Flash, an amazing rendition of Sympathy for the Devil, Brown Sugar, Tumbling Dice, Under My Thumb, Paint it Black. A moving platform took all the band out into the middle of the stadium where they played Satisfaction, Honky Tonk Women and Only Rock and Roll (But I like it).

During Honky Tonk Women massive inflatable red lips with a tongue, the symbol used by the band, burst out of the main screen. This was just one of the special effects during the evening which included 4 enormous flames shooting out of the top of the stage during Sympathy for the Devil (I could feel the heat from the flames from where I was standing in the middle of the stadium) and fire works which took every one by surprise once the concert had finished.

Pure showmanship at its very best. Polished and sharp also come to mind when trying to describe their performance on Saturday night. Perhaps some people had been put off by ticket prices which started at 73 euros. However, the sheer scale of the whole show was amazing, the sound perfect the lighting was spectacular…definitely worth every cent.

The band, who stayed 3 nights at the Maria Cristina Hotel in the centre of San Sebastian (see hotels in San Sebastian) left for their next Spanish dates on Sunday.

The Rolling Stones have 2 more Spanish dates on their Bigger Bang Tour. They are due to play in Madrid on Thursday 28th June at the Calderon Stadium and in Elejido on Saturday 30th June at the Santo Domingo Stadium.

Related:
The Rolling Stones cancel all concerts in Spain (2006)
Photos of Rolling Stones concert in San Sebastian

ETA car with explosives found in Huelva

ETA Car Found in Huelva contained 115 Kilos of Explosives

The Civil Guard suspects that ETA has formed an infrastructure in the Algarve, Portugal following the discovery of an abandoned car containing 115 kilos of explosives yesterday.

The car was discovered when workers carrying out road repairs near the A-49 noticed how a man got out of a grey Ford Focus Ranchera which had been travelling in the direction of Portugal before stopping at the side of the road and crossed a bridge to go in the opposite direction. Later a second car picked him up and travelled back towards Spain.

The Civil Guard believe this was a shuttle car which acted to avoid both Spanish National Police and the Portuguese border controls which they realised were on high alert. The Civil Guard believe that ETA may have a base in Andalucia as well as the Algarve because this is where the second car appeared to be come from.

Originally the workers near the A-49 believed that the car had just broken down and that somebody had come to pick up the driver. However, 2 hours later around 11.30am a BMW motorbike arrived and stopped at the abandoned car. One of the riders got off the bike and without removing their helmet, looked inside the car, opened it, removed 2 bags and drove off.

Investigators believe that the bike riders took away just what they could carry which were bags containing documents and pistols, leaving the explosives which they were unable to transport.

Joan Mesquida, Director of the Civil Guard said no hypothesis was being ruled out and that this could be an ETA cell or just a handover of explosives. However, he ruled out that it was a car bomb.

On closer inspection the Civil Guard discovered that the car had been carrying 115 kilos of explosives, 10 timers, 8 detonators and a device to activate bombs from a distance. They had also discovered a manual on how to make bombs written in Euskera, the Basque language. However, none of the material had been prepared and this is why the Civil Guard believe the car was merely transporting the goods.

The grey Ford Focus Ranchera is believed to have been hired in Portugal. It was removed by crane at around 4pm yesterday afternoon and taken away for investigation by the Civil Guard

Best places to live in Spain

Pamplona, Bilbao and Gijón considered to be the best places to live in Spain

According to a survey carried out by the Organisation for Consumers and Users (OCU) Pamplona, Bilbao and Gijón are considered to be the best places to live in Spain.

More than 10,000 people in the OCU survey, carried out in collaboration with associations that are members of Euroconsumers. In the survey, citizens in 76 towns and cities were questioned about their level of satisfaction for the place they live in.

Those questioned consider that the most important criteria that determines the quality of life in the place where you live is personal security (18%) followed by the local employment market (15%), housing (13%), health care (12%) and transport (10%). In contrast little importance was attached to shops, services, historical heritage and the urban landscape.

In terms of the above criteria Pamplona turns out to be the best place to live in Spain, followed by Bilbao, Gijón, Logroño, Albacete, Barcelona, Santander, Murcia, Zaragoza, Palma de Mallorca, Valladolid, Valencia and Badajoz.

Surprisingly, Gran Canaria, Madrid, Vigo and Seville came last in the survey given the criteria used.

In order to carry out the survey the OCU selected the 17 Spanish cities with the highest populations in each autonomous community:: Albacete, Badajoz, Barcelona, Bilbao, Gijón, Logroño, Madrid, Murcia, Palma de Mallorca, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Pamplona, Santander, Sevilla, Valencia, Valladolid, Vigo and Zaragoza.

Related:
Reasons for living in Spain
Beautiful places in Spain

Spain criticised for Desalination Plants

World Wildlife Fund Criticises Construction of Desalination Plants in Spain

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has criticised the ‘frenetic construction’ of desalination plants in Spain and their negative impact on the environment and climate change. According to the study Spain has one of the largest capacities for desalination but it has warned that this is not the best way of guaranteeing the supply of fresh water.

The director of the World Fresh Water Programme for the WWF, Jamie Pittock highlighted this week that desalination is a very expensive form of obtaining fresh water and uses a high amount of energy to do so therefore contributing to the greenhouse effect. Furthermore he claims it is destroying the coastline.

The WWF has warned that many countries with water shortages are looking to desalination as a solution to their problems. Among those countries are Australia, the Middle East, the US, Spain and the UK as well as India and China. In all of these countries there are densely populated areas with little or no natural fresh water supplies.

The present Spanish government proposed the construction of desalination plants as a way of tackling the country's water shortage when it cancelled the contraversial Ebro project planned by the previous government and intended to divert fresh water from northern river supplies to other parts of the country.

Related:
Spanish drought

Spanish cinemas on strike

Spanish Cinemas are closed today due in protest over new law

The Spanish Federation of Cinemas (FECE), which includes 90% of all cinemas in Spain, has called on its members to strike for 24 hours in protest over the proposed new Cinema law. The Managing Director FECE, Rafael Alvero, has accused the government of failing to negotiate with his organisation which is why the decision to strike today was taken. He also said it was just the first measure they would be taking in order to get their point across.

Last week Rafael Alvero said that FECE had spoken to nearly all the political groups in the Spanish parliament except for PSOE given that the period for amending the proposed law before it was passed finishes next week. In fact he said that today’s strike was a call for Spanish cinemas not to be forgotten by politicians.

As well as the strike Spanish cinemas have prepared some advertisements to publicise the problems they face which will be screened in cinemas through out the country. According to Alvero their tone is quite belligerent given the present situation which clearly favours the production sector.

The main demands of the FECE are that the quota for screening a film are reduced, competition is regulated, cinemas have the rights to screen a film for six months and that more efforts are made to combat piracy.

The last time that Spanish cinemas went on strike was in 1993 in another protest over the law governing cinemas and as far as Alvero is concerned they are facing the same battle today although he also admitted that perhaps the number of spectators had gone down partly due to a possible excess of cinema screens in Spain. However, he said that this was another matter not directly related to the proposed Cinema law.

Today’s strike is estimated to cost cinemas almost one million euros in lost ticket sales - cinemas are free to decide whether to participate or not

Bob Dylan Awarded the Principe de Asturias Prize for the Arts

The American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan has been awarded the 2007 Principe de Asturias Prize for the Arts. Bob Dylan has been chosen above other nominees which included the Portuguese pianist Maria Joao Pires, the architects Frank Gerhy and Rafael Moneo and the British musician Andrew Lloyd Weber.

The jury for the Principe de Asturias Prize for the Arts who also awarded a prize for International Cooperation to Al Gore the ex US Vice-President is presided over by José Lladó , the former Spanish Trade Minister.

Pedro Almodovar was the last person to be awarded this prize. Other past winners include Woody Allen, Miquel Barceló and Paco de Lucía.

In total there are 8 Principe de Asturias prizes awarded annually. Prince Felipe usually presents the awards in person at a ceremony in Oviedo, the capital of Asturias. Each prize consists of a statue designed by Joan Miró and 50,000 euros.

According to the Principe de Asturias jury Bob Dylan, who first performed in Spain in 1984 in the Rayo Vallencano stadium, is a ‘living myth in the history of popular music and a light for a generation that dreamed of changing the world’. Carmen Calvo, the Spanish Culture Minister, considers the American singer to be a ‘guru for various generations throughout the world’. Gay Mercader, a music promoter, said of Dylan that ‘he was the first to give weight to popular music and his influence on his peers is enormous’.

Spain Celebrates 30 Years of Democracy

Today is the 30th anniversary of democracy in Spain. To mark the occasion the King, Don Juan Carlos I, spoke yesterday in parliament where he asked for ‘unity and understanding based on sincere dialogue in order to confront the important issues facing the country’. He said that the future depended on the citizens of Spain who in his words had the ‘capacity to lead the way to a better future’.

The king also spoke about terrorism saying that Spaniards had suffered the brutal consequences of terrorism over decades and that the country needed to support and remember the victims and families affected.

The first elections following the death of Franco were held on 15th June 1977. In July 1976 Adolfo Suarez was appointed by the king as president of the provisional government. He was given the task of overseeing Spain’s transition to democracy. His objective was achieved with the elections held in June 1977 less than a year later.

Political reform began in October 1976 and political parties, including the Communist party which had led the struggle against the dictatorship, were legalized in April 1977. See this video of the electoral promises of the newly legalised political parties.



The June elections in the same year were won by the centre UCD (Union de Centro Democratica) led by Suarez with 166 seats followed by PSOE (the Spanish Socialist party) with 118 seats. The Communist party won 19 seats and the Alianza Popular (now the PP), which included former ministers from the Franco dictatorship, won just 16 seats.


Last week Aldolfo Suarez was honoured with the Toison de Oro the highest honour for his part in the transition. However, he was unable to attend the award ceremony due to ill health.

Online banking profits soar in Spain

Online banking profits soar by 71.4%

It wasn’t long ago that online banks in Spain accumulated losses. However, a couple of years ago online banking began to be more profitable due to an aggressive commercial policy aimed at attracting new clients and this year's figures indicate that Spaniards are using e-banking more and more.

In the first financial quarter of 2007 Spanish online banks Inversis, Bancopopular-e, Uno-e and Openbank gained 12.32 million euros in profits which is 71.4% more than for the same period last year according to figures just released published by the Spanish Association of Banks (AEB).

The main reason for such a sharp rise in profits for online Spanish banks has been the phenomenal growth of Openbank, a member of the Santander Group, whose profits quadrupled to 4.3 million euros for the first financial quarter this year.

Inversis also experienced a substantial rise in profits of 1.58 million euros for the first quarter this year compared to just 460,000 euros in the same period in 2005. Uno-e, an internet susidiary of BBVA, increased profits by 53.9%, to 5.24 millon in the first quarter of 2007, compared to 3.4 million for the same period last year which makes it the most profitable Spanish online bank.

Bancopopular-e, saw its profits fall and was the only online bank not to improve on last year’s performance. In fact it only registered a profit of 1.18 million euros in the first quarter of 2007 which is 56.4% less than last year.

Openbank was the clear winner when it came to savings accounts with its clients depositing 3,901 million euros, 84% more than all the other Spanish online banks put together. The online branch of Santander Consumer Finance began 2007 by rising interest rates on deposit accounts.

Uno-e came second with deposits of 1,183 million euros followed by Inversis, with 613.5 million euros and Bancopopular-e with 331.04 million euros.

However, the online branch of Banco Popular conceded the most credit to its clients at 1,065.5 million euros followed by Uno-e which granted 967.9 million euros in credit, Openbank came far behind granting just 199.2 million euros to its clients and Inversis came last conceding just 126.6 million euros in credit.

Related:
Ranking of Spanish banks
Spanish banks
E-commerce in Spain

Spanish mayor worked as a GP without a degree in medicine

Popular Party Mayor admits working as a doctor without being qualified

José Miguel Llorca Senabre, former Mayor of Villajoyosa, a small town on the Costa Blanca where the PP lost their absolute majority in the recent local elections, has been forced to stand down and renounce his seat on the council after the press revealed that he has worked as a doctor for years despite never having completed his medical studies. He has used an open letter addressed to the citizens of Villajoyosa to announce his decision.

His resignation comes days after the media published stories questioning his academic background and accusing José Miguel Llorca Senabre of practising medicine in a clinic without ever having qualified as a doctor. José Miguel Llorca Senabre admitted that personal circumstances prevented him from completing his medical studies and that he took full responsibility for that. With regards to ‘the error’ he committed in his youth he asked how anyone could throw the first stone without analysing their own life first.

He said that he was leaving a strong cohesive PP team in the town hall who were in his own words prepared to die for Villajoyosa. Llorca Senabre had been Mayor of Villjoyosa for the last 8 years. Speaking of his time in office he said that it hadn’t been a bed of roses and that he had been continuously persecuted through lawsuits taken out against him and false accusations which he had overcome only through the belief that he was working for the good of the town.

He also said that his privacy had been invaded and that it had begun to affect his family life which for him is sacrosanct and for this reason he couldn’t go on. Despite the scandal of the doctor who never was, Alicante's local provincial government, also PP, backed the former mayor and advised him not to resign, whereby the more powerful Valencian PP Regional government stepped in and forced the resignation.

Related:
English-speaking doctors in Spain
Healthcare in Spain
My heart opertion in Spain

UN Secretary General calls on ETA to reinstate ceasefire

During his official visit to Spain yesterday, the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, called on ETA to reinstate the ceasefire which it called off just 2 days ago. He also expressed his firm support for the Spanish government and Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.

During a press conference with the Spanish president Ban Ki-moon said that he denounced violence and was sure that the international community would stand by Spain. He also added that there was no justification for terrorism. He urged ETA to make an effort to return to the ceasefire and said that all conflicts of opinion should be resolved peacefully and that there could not be dialogue if there was violence.

This statement was made on his own initiative. Yesterday the European parliament also gave its support to the Spanish government when the European Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security, Franco Frattini, denied a representative from Batasuna the right to hold official talks.

Ban also praised the ‘Alliance of Civilisations’ which has been promoted by Zapatero whereas Zapatero spoke about Spain’s support for multilateralism and said that Spain identified itself with the objectives and methods followed by the UN – peace, human rights and world stability. Spain has 2,800 troop in different parts of the world such as Lebanon, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Bosnia, helping UN peacekeeping efforts.

Meanwhile, Spanish government officials who met with Ban spoke of the need for more Spanish representation in the UN organization and according to official sources Ban asked for a list of names in order to correct this situation.

Political reaction to ETA's ceasefires

A Spanish blog published an interesting comparison of reactions of the then main opposition party (PSOE) to the news that ETA had decided to break the 1999 ceasefire after holding talks with Aznar's PP government, with reactions of the PP, now opposition, to the announcement that ETA was breaking its 2006 ceasefire made public two days ago.

President Zapatero has repeatedly asked the PP opposition to join all other political parties in their support for Government policy towards Basque terrorism and to give their support to the peace process. The following comparisons offer an interesting contrast in reactions of the respective oppositions to the 1999 and 2006 ceasefire break announcements.

Comparison of Opposition Reactions to the end of the ETA Ceasefire both in 1999 and 2007 according to Spanish blog A la Sombra del Tomate

PSOE Socialist Party - then opposition - reactions to ETA's announcement in 1999:

JOAQUÍN ALMUNIA - Then leader of the PSOE party, then opposition to the PP
29th November in to EFE
"It is clear that the only group responsible for the end of the ceasefire is ETA. We are facing a moment of unity and consensus where those responsible for this are Aznar, Ibarretxe and possibly myself. If the president of the government wants to speak to me I’ll answer his call. All democrats need to put aside our differences and look for what we have in common which is basically the defence of peace and our commitment to work together to achieve peace, democracy and freedom".

MANUEL CHAVES - Socialist President of the Andalucian Regional Government and Secretary General of the PSOE party, 30th November
Insisted that his party would never be guilty of electioneering when it comes to the terrorist problem and that it would back all (PP) Government initiatives in order to redirect the situation and guarantee the ceasefire

CRISTINA CARBONA - then a prominent member of the PSOE party and today Minister of the Environment, 29th November
The attitude of the terrorist organisation can’t be blamed in any circumstances on errors committed by the government or how the government has acted during the peace process in the Basque Country. It is not a moment to appear disunited but to promote the position that all democrats take against this u turn and to trust that ETA will regret its mistake and not return to violence once again.

RAMÓN JAÚREGUI, General Secretary of the Basque Socialist Party, 29th November
Pleaded to political parties to "make it as difficult as possible for ETA to go back to killing", by fostering dialogue between all political groups and insitutions fundamentally between the President of the Government, the Lehendakari (the leader of the Basque Parliament) and the General Secretary of PSOE.

PP - today's main opposition party - reaction to ETA's announcement in 2007

MARIANO RAJOY (Leader of the PP), 5th June
“To give in to a terrorist organization is a mistake that would only serve to strengthen that organization. I ask the Spanish Government to rectify its position. I ask for clarity, certainty, security and under no circumstances that it act ambiguously. The president’s declaration this morning was not clear in any way. I ask that there will be no cession or negotiation with ETA and that he puts into use all the mechanisms of a democratic state and the law. And I ask for facts and proof that all Spaniards require that the government will not give in’’

ESPERANZA AGUIRRE (PP President of Madrid), 5th June
"The President of the government had a mandate to verify that ETA had given up its arms. However, that mandate was never carried out. ETA "has always used ceasefires to rearm itself and that the end of this ceasefire came just two days after it achieved control of some townhalls and 250 million euros towards extorsion and killing".

IGNACIO ASTARLOA, PP Justice and Security Spokesman, 5th June
"The PP told PSOE that this peace process was ridiculous and would only lead to total concessions to the terrorists and their return but this time stronger. I regret that all this has happened in a scenario of total cession on the part of the government".

LEOPOLDO BARREDA, PP Spokesman in the Basque Country, 5th June
“…Over the last 14 months ther was nothing real or certain about this ceasefire. It gives the impression that everything has been deliberate given that the ceasefire was broken only after the local elections because it was important for them to get back into local government. "

ETA announces end to cease-fire

At 2.00 am this morning, ETA sent a press release to the Basque paper Berria declaring an end to the "permanent ceasefire" which the Basque terrorists originally announced in March last year (see ETA ceasefire).

Recent events suggested that a formal announcement of this nature by ETA was imminent - although the terrorists did of course in effect end the ceasefire in in December when they planted a bomb in Madrid's main airport killing two civilians. After the bomb, the terrorist group claimed that it had not intended to kill civilians, that the bomb had been intended as a warning and that the truce was still in place. However the the Spanish government called off peace talks with the group and demanded an end to violence.

A break-through in the peace process has since looked increasingly unlikely given and the following events all tended to point to an eventual end to this latest ETA truce:

• Several thefts of explosives in France suggested that the terrorists were re-arming and arrests were made in France of armed ETA suspects
• The Spanish authorities continued to pursue and capture ETA suspects, and refused to postpone any trials pending negotiations
• Mobilisation by the PP of victims and supporters has led to several anti-negotiation with ETA rallies being held all over Spain. The opposition party has been ruthless in its criticism of the Government, and for the first time in Spanish history the opposition used terrorism as an anti-government weapon in the recent election campaigns
• Last week an unusually large number of Basque businesses received letters demanding a payment of 150,000 euros to the ETA cause so that the Basque terrorists could "carry on fighting for the cause" at what the letters said was a "key moment in the fight for freedom"
• A video obtained by Spanish television channel Tele Cinco last week showed ETA paramilitaries instructing how to make bombs and how to shoot to kill
• Refusal of the political wing of ETA to condemn violence throughout the peace process

In its announcement made this morning, ETA says it will consider the ceasefire to be officially over as from midnight tomorrow, 6th June. The terrorists claim that "the minimum conditions required in order to continue negotiations no longer exist" and that "Zapatero's Government has responded to the cease in armed actions with arrests, tortures and persecutions". ETA accuses Zapatero of going back on his original predisposition in favour of "facism which leaves citizens and parties with no rights".

President Rodríguez Zapatero is expected to address Spain this morning and the opposition party will make a statement after the President's address. Zapatero is expected to appeal for calm, to reassure Spaniards that the government will remain firm in its fight to end terrorism and to ask for the support of all political parties in the fight against ETA.

More news stories about ETA.

Breakthrough hand transplant by Spanish surgeons

Valencian Hospital in Pioneering Hand Transplant Operation

In the Virgen del Consuelo hospital in Valencia doctors have carried out a pioneering hand transplant operation on a man who lost use of his only hand after suffering a stroke.

The man, who had lost his left hand 40 years ago, had been unable to use his right hand since suffering from the stroke which had paralyzed the right hand side of his body three years ago.

Pedro Cavadas led a team of doctors who firstly converted the man’s right hand into a left hand by changing the place of the thumb and then transplanted it on the man’s stump where his left hand used to be, on the side of his body which can function normally.

The operation, the only one of its kind in the world, took place on 29th April this year. The patient will have to do some rehabilitation exercises over the next few months and should be able to use his ‘new’ left hand ‘reasonably well’.