The Department of Health and Public Health is studying a project that will to provide a free television service in all hospitals in the Valencian Community from February 2019.

TV currently costs approximately four euros a day for patients and is managed by external companies. The estimated cost of it’s introduction would be around 1.2 million euros per year for the 20 directly managed hospital, while the average saving for hospitalised patients would be 24 euros, the department said in a statement.

The current contract for the installation and operation of the public telephony, internet and television service with providing companies ends next February. “With the termination of the contract, the provision of the service will in future be carried out free of charge, so that the provision and maintenance of the service will be borne by the Ministry of Health, for which all necessary measures are currently being prepared”, explained Ana Barceló, the Counsellor of Health of the Valencian Autonomous Government

This measure is part of the plan to dignify and humanise the infrastructure, “demonstrating the importance that we place on the welfare of patients, said Barceló. “What we hope to achieve is not only to make the patient’s stay more bearable but also to recognise the concern for their well-being.”

Along with this measure, the Ministry is also working on an expansion of the wireless network so that it will be able to offer access to the Internet for patients and visitors.