Catalan president returns to duty after intensive care stint

The Catalan president, Salvador Illa, has returned to work after a month of medical leave, offering an institutional speech on Monday morning.

The Socialist leader assured he is “fully aware” of everything that Catalonia and residents has gone through during his absence.

In mid January, Illa was hospitalized after experiencing muscular pain during his daily jog. It soon transpired that he was suffering from pubic osteomyelitis caused by a bacterial infection, and was admitted to the intensive care unit.

Some days after he was hospitalized, the fatal train crash at Gelida occurred, leading to weeks of disruptions in the rail network across the region, which is not expected to be fully resolved until April. 

Last week, severe winds battered Catalonia, causing emergency alerts to be sent. The conditions led to the death of one person, who died after part of a warehouse roof collapsed on her. 

Upon his return to work, Illa assured that he knows “what Catalans are demanding” and “what needs to be done.”

The president made a brief reference to the situation of the Rodalies commuter rail network and the effects of the weather in recent weeks, and urged "full confidence" of citizens that "Catalonia is prepared to resolve any situation.”

He also took the opportunity to make a fierce defense of public health and “humanity” over market logic.

"The government is fully dedicated to preparing the country better, to strengthening all the services and infrastructures that are needed, to dedicating all the resources that are needed," he explained. "In the local trains, in the entire road network, and in the entire public services, we have set ourselves a demanding and ambitious course that we will execute in an exhaustive, methodical, and rigorous manner."

Regarding his own situation, Illa admitted that he underwent “hard days at times, but also instructive and rewarding ones, because in life you learn from everything.”

In this sense, he made a reflection that anticipates a decrease in the pace of his public exposition. “The most important thing is to take care of ourselves and to take care of each other. Sometimes, whether due to a sudden situation as has been my case, it is necessary to stop, to take a perspective of oneself and the environment to reflect”, he concluded.

"You cannot put a price on health, he added."