DOCTORS in Spain are staging the first of a series of nationwide, five-day strikes from Monday with dates announced through to June.
Medical unions are seeking a law tailored to their unique working conditions, including regulating 24-hour shifts and improving salaries.
They are opposed to the government’s proposed reform of the healthcare workforce law known as the Estatuto Marco.
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The plans would cover working conditions across Spain’s public health system, but unions say it does not properly reflect the demands of the profession.
According to strike organisers, current conditions are leading to a mass exodus of specialists from the public sector.
While emergency services are maintained, some non-urgent appointments and surgeries could be postponed.
Patients are asked to contact local health centres and hospitals to confirm they will be seen as arranged.
Intermittent five-day strikes are planned for February 16–20, March 16–20, April 27–30, May 18–22, and June 15–19.
The last strike on January 14 had a patchy response according to official figures from Spain’s 17 regions.
The highest support came from the north with just under 20% of medics withdrawing labour in the Basque Country and Galicia.
The unions emphasize that they have repeatedly tried to establish a constructive dialogue with the Ministry of Health, but the proposed package falls short of what they want and they believe they are being snubbed.
The Minister of Health, Monica Garcia, has stated her willingness to continue negotiations, but unions insist that without genuine change, the situation will remain at a standstill.
They pointed out that the new strikes are not an attempt to harm patients, but a necessary measure to protect the quality of medical care and the future of the public healthcare system.
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