TWO women were sent home from the operating table at a Costa del Sol hospital after their long-awaited surgeries were abruptly cancelled amid Spain’s ongoing doctors’ strike.
The patients, from Estepona and Mijas, had finally secured Monday appointments at Marbella’s Costa del Sol Hospital after gruelling waits of around 18 months, according to Spanish outlet Area Costa del Sol.
But while they were being prepped for surgery, their hopes were suddenly dashed as staff halted procedures and told them to go home.
According to reports, staff said the cancellations were due to the ongoing doctors’ strike, which saw more than 150,000 medical professionals launch a nationwide three-day walkout on Monday in a bitter dispute over pay, working hours and conditions.
Incensed by the last-minute U-turn, one of the patients said: “I had been waiting a year and a half. I called my daughter crying with happiness.
“They were finally going to take away all this suffering.
“I can’t believe that now, just as I was about to go into the operating room, they tell me to go home. This is inhumane,” she added.
According to the same report, one of the women had been scheduled for surgery at 6:30am — and had to leave home at 4am to make it to the hospital on time.
Already first in line, hooked up to an IV and dressed for the procedure, she was instead told to change and leave.
In another blow, one patient revealed his operation has been cancelled an astonishing four times at the same hospital.
The latest strike, running from April 27 to 30, is part of a wave of protests that has gripped Spain’s health system since February.
At the heart of the row is a controversial government reform that unions say fails to recognise doctors’ unique training, responsibilities and legal risks.
Medics are now demanding a dedicated statute for their profession, warning that without real change – amid long hours, staff shortages and mounting pressure – the system risks being pushed to breaking point.
Spain’s Health Minister, Monica Garcia, has since proposed further tweaks to the law, but unions have blasted them as ‘insufficient.’
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