Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
Next week, hospitals and health centres in Spain will come to a grinding halt as 100,000 doctors walk out for two days.
The 14th and 15th of January will see services cut to the minimum. Routine appointments and thousands of non urgent operations are being cancelled.
The Profession Association for Medical and Medical Practitioners’ Statutes(APEMYF), a group of 16 medical associations, called for industrial action.
The Spanish Confederation of Medical Unions has backed this move, along with five regional groups, including those in Andalucia (Andalucia), Catalonia (Catalonia), Madrid, Basque Country (Basque Country) and Galicia.
They claim doctors are being treated like ‘slaves’ and are furious over a new statute proposed by the health ministry, which they say will ‘degrade’ the profession and allow less qualified staff to treat patients.
This latest round of industrial action follows a four-day walkout by doctors in December, when Spain was battling its worst winter flu outbreak in years.
“Two additional days will not only provide continuity to the protests, but they will also ensure the effectiveness the December strike. And we will again send out a strong signal to both the regional and national administrations,” said the unions in a press release.
Read more: Barcelona’s lifeguards call off their strike after striking a deal with the city council
They say the strike is a ‘wake-up call for all those involved’ and have urged government officials to ‘stop hiding behind the delegations of powers and face up to what is actually their responsibility’.
The unions argue that the generic framework proposed in the proposed labour law does not take into consideration the unique conditions of doctors.
If their concerns go unaddressed, the unions have threatened coordinated action – including a possible indefinite strike unless health officials reopen meaningful negotiations.
The unions pulled out of official talks after health ministers refused to set up separate negotiating tables for doctors. They instead worked with larger, more general unions to iron out the finer details of the law.
What do you do when you have an appointment scheduled?
Patients who are scheduled to have minor operations or visits to their doctor on these dates should not assume they will be carried out.
Health authorities advise that patients should call their health center or department of the hospital before traveling.
The minimum service law guarantees emergency care and dialysis, but routine checkups and non urgent surgeries are likely to be cancelled.
Check the app for your local health service if you can’t get through. Salud Responde You can also call the number (in Andalucia), to get any updates regarding your appointment.
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