Health has not issued any fines for not attending in Catalan: "It neither has the competence nor is there current legislation"

BarcelonaClaims for not being attended to in Catalan in the healthcare sector are not stopping growing, but sanctions for this reason remain stagnant: zero. As the ARA has been able to learn through a transparency request, the Deputy Directorate General of Health and Pharmaceutical Evaluation and Inspection —which reports to the Department of Health— has not registered "any sanctioning file for violation of linguistic rights" in the last five years. This, despite the fact that since 2020 complaints have skyrocketed, increasing by 1,300%. It has gone from 25 claims five years ago to 359 in 2025 for not receiving oral attention, clinical documentation, or administrative documentation in Catalan, a historical record never registered.

The Department of Health's argument is that the Deputy Directorate General of Evaluation and Inspection "neither has the competence nor is there current legislation" that gives it "the capacity to sanction" centers or practitioners who violate citizens' linguistic rights. The same body admits that between 2022 and 2026 it has processed 18 claims that include the alleged violation of linguistic rights, and from these, 7 sanctions have resulted. However, even though the complaint includes language, the sanction from Inspection is not for linguistic discrimination "but for technical health irregularities, such as because health care was not offered or because a center did not have the relevant authorization," they explain from Health.

The difference between the complaints received by the department for linguistic discrimination —which have multiplied by 15 in five years— and the claims investigated by Inspection is due to the fact that "action is only taken if there is suspicion that health care has been affected or has not been provided," so that language is not the reason for analyzing the case. Linguistic Policy confirms that "there has never been" specific regulation that allows for sanctions for this reason.

Rights, but not fines

There are various regulations that guarantee the right to choose the language in public services and that require a linguistic requirement for public workers in personnel selection processes. This is supported by laws such as the Statute of Autonomy, the language policy law, as well as the laws of the Institut Català de la Salut (ICS) and public administration. And, in the private sphere, the Consumer Code specifies the right to "be served in Catalan". The Generalitat even issued an instruction in 2024 to disseminate patients' linguistic rights in healthcare centers, within the Plan to guarantee the knowledge and use of Catalan in the public health system. Despite the fact that the then minister Manel Balcells told el ARA that its non-compliance would imply "financial penalties" for hospitals, this plan, like the rest of the regulations, does not specify sanctions for the centers; nor does the Consumer Code.

The Basic Statute of Public Employees does incorporate as a "very serious disciplinary offense" for the worker the failure to comply with the Constitution and the Statute, and discriminating against the user for any reason, also specifically for language. In this case, consequences are detailed at an individual level, ranging from a warning to suspension of salary and employment or dismissal. On the other hand, in the private sphere, the Consumer Code makes sanctions dependent on other laws, but it follows that if healthcare personnel are employed by a legal entity, this entity is responsible for the violation of linguistic rights, as it is the one providing the service.

The user versus the system

This paradoxical situation, with extensive coverage of patients' rights and duties but little administrative inspection and no sanctioning activity, forces the user to act against discrimination. On the one hand, by filing official complaints and, on the other, with evidence of linguistic violations including treatment defects or health impacts.

This is what happened two months ago with the case of a patient who was denied psychological attention after a suicide attempt because she requested it entirely in Catalan. The patient recorded the conversations. The Department of Health acknowledged a "serious infringement of regulations" but not for linguistic reasons but "because the center did not guarantee the continuity of treatment." The Córcega Day Hospital in Barcelona, managed by the CPB Foundation, was sanctioned with a fine of 3,006 euros. Plataforma per la Llengua filed appeals because it requested compensation from the Servei Català de la Salut (CatSalut) for derived patrimonial liability and consequences for the healthcare professionals involved.

Linguistic reception measures

In recent years, the administration has redoubled its efforts in raising awareness and linguistic reception for professionals joining the system, many of whom come from outside the country and have no knowledge of Catalan. This year, 1,655 people are registered to study Catalan for free as part of the Prescriu-te el Català campaign. A specific 15-hour course, T'acollim, has been created to explain the linguistic situation to new professionals. In 2025, 245 language tandems were created in 55 healthcare centers, and specific educational materials have been developed for doctors.

"Nothing we do is valid if there is no obligation behind it and if it is bypassed, it has consequences. The administration buries its head in the sand. Not even current legislation is applied, which requires accreditation of level C to have a permanent position. There are many gaps and contradictions, such as defending certain rights but hiring people to work without any linguistic requirement, like residents," says doctor Lluís Mont, president of Salut pel Català.

For Plataforma per la Llengua, "we need to find ways to ensure the coverage of positions and, at the same time, compliance with the law." "This, ultimately, depends on the respective governments —states its president, Òscar Escuder—. It is essential that it is done across the entire healthcare system simultaneously. And it is necessary for everyone to understand that not knowing the patient's language implies not only an infringement of linguistic rights but also a patient safety issue." That is why they are asking for "a reasonable and credible timeline" for the law to be enforced and for Catalan to be "truly necessary and required." In recent months, there has been a failed attempt to influence university and resident training through the single university district, which was rejected.

Plataforma per la Llengua registered 384 complaints in 2025 for violation of linguistic rights in Catalonia (197 in the public sector and 157 in the private sector), whereas in 2020 it received barely 88. For its part, the Generalitat received 477 complaints in 2025 for various linguistic and cultural reasons, of which 359 were for not receiving attention in Catalan and 85 for not receiving attention in Spanish. However, despite the increase in complaints, the incorporation of coercive or sanctioning measures in case of non-compliance with the laws has not been announced.