Emmanuel de Geuser, president of the Ribera group managing Torrejón hospital, sent an internal memo urging employees to stay calm amid reports on profit-boosting practices. Revelations include triage changes in emergencies to prioritize mild cases and cut costs. Madrid's regional government is investigating potential irregularities but has found none so far.
On December 5, 2025, Emmanuel de Geuser, president of the Ribera health group, distributed an internal memo to workers acknowledging a “sensitive media situation” following revelations by EL PAÍS. In the message, he urges “maintaining calm and taking distance from what appears in the media,” admitting that “some published information may generate unease”.
The reports concern plans ordered by CEO Pablo Gallart to select profitable procedures and increase waiting lists at Torrejón University Hospital, aiming for an EBITDA of four or five million euros. Gallart, who requested to step away from hospital management but remains Ribera's number two, met with about 20 managers. EL PAÍS also revealed meeting audios, the dismissal of four executives who denounced the instructions, and orders to reuse single-use medical materials.
An internal document from the Nursing Union, dated April 17, 2025, denounces changes in emergency triage: verbal orders to reassign “yellow” (serious) patients to “green” (mild) without medical justification, prioritizing mild cases to shorten waits. “These practices are unsafe and unethical,” states the text, criticizing alterations to the Manchester system for organizational and cost reasons. A parallel consultation for mild patients was created, reducing emergency staffing, and a Short Stay Unit where patients were overcrowded to count as admissions without opening wards, attracting external patients for extra payments.
The hospital, public but privately managed by Ribera, serves over 150,000 people in the Henares Corridor. Management denies misconduct, stating criteria are clinical and supported by audits from the Health Department. Geuser emphasizes patient priority and professional ethics, announcing detailed information from the Board of Directors. “Let's move forward, together,” he concludes, with the motto #ResponsibleHealth.
Madrid's regional government is investigating processes, with no irregularities found yet.