Ronda Directo: Raúl Párraga: »Your trust, our greatest gift»
Today we are here with a young entrepreneur who, at his young age, is the current director of the Párraga FootClinic, Raúl Párraga. It is a podiatry clinic that started in Ronda and is internationally known as one of the best in Spain. The reason for this interview is that we have learned that he is about to open another clinic in our city and this time with a different focus.
First of all, we would like to get to know you a little Raúl, he looks very young, with a lot of desire, but this is not enough. Does it take a lot of courage and knowledge today to open a business?
Well, the truth is that it takes a lot, a lot of effort, a lot of courage. And well, my first work experience, he began when he was only 15 years old, I remember that he bought things in Wallapop to resell it and thus make a profit. And that benefit was not used to spend it, but saved to buy other objects of greater value and thus achieve a higher benefit. That's how I got involved in different businesses that were a little more serious, until the time came for me to go to the University and something happened to me that I think continues to happen today in many houses and that is to follow the family tradition, for the family pressure because they consider that it is the best for one, in my case it is the branch of health and because of this pressure I began the career of podiatry. But soon, after a month and a half, I decided that I didn't want to waste my family's time, or money, obviously, so I went to London to strengthen my English a bit and do the degree that I really liked, which was that of Business Administration and Management.
You have spent a period of time leading what is the direction of the Párraga Clinic and in just 8 months you are going to open a polyclinic in Ronda. Tell us how that idea came about?
Well, look, I really believe that the entrepreneurial spirit is always there. You always try to go further and it is true that I am not alone in this project, I am with my sister Carmen Párraga who is an excellent professional, she is a foot surgeon. She trained with my father, who is an eminence in the field of podiatry, because he was the pioneer in bringing a minimally invasive technique to Spain from the United States and well. Hence, they have placed it at the forefront of national and international surgery. Not only because she trained with my father, but because she is a perfectionist, she likes to see all the cases, very carefully, and not only to take away the pain in that person's foot, but she even seeks to make it totally aesthetic. , totally symmetrical, which is what our patients also value.
Before talking about the new polyclinic in Ronda, could you explain to us how is this technique that you use in foot surgeries in your clinic?
Well look, what we do is a technique using micro incisions. This basically consists of removing any type of pain in the foot, be it a sole, a bunion, without stitches, we remove what is foot pain with a technique that is still little known and minimally invasive.
In fact, in public health they use the traditional technique that consists of slitting your entire foot to operate on a bunion, we do it without stitches and you walk home, you don't have to stay in the hospital, and above all, most importantly, is that we achieve that the postoperative period is not painful.
Are you saying with this that, if I had a bunion operation today, I would leave the clinic calmly on foot?
Correct, that's right. In fact, it is what in the end has placed us in the place that we are. As I mentioned before, we have been the pioneers in the implementation of this technique in Spain, which is why many, many foreigners come to us for surgery, and spend a period of time here in Spain for what we put at their disposal. their disposal everything so that the cure is as agile as possible and they can go to their countries as soon as possible.
Yes, the truth is surprising, Raúl, do you really think that this has been the key to your success?
The truth is that the key to our success is the results that we have had, in fact, they are there, but what is really important is to follow the values that have been instilled in us and that we have. We continue to instill in our company that it is humane treatment.
00:07:35 Speaker 2
Did you tell me before that you had a story that really reflects who you are and your values?
Yes, it is a story that we have never, ever told in the media, but, but I think it is curious that you know. A few years ago, while in Ronda, we were contacted by the Royal House. The story is that at that moment our dear Lola, who has been with us at the Clinic for more than 20 years, picked up the phone and they called for a pathology. They only wanted to talk to my father at that moment and he was just operating on an intervention and could not attend the call.