Lluís Mont: "Learning Catalan in healthcare should be made mandatory."

BarcelonaCheers to Catalan It began as a WhatsApp group, and later a Telegram group, which reached two thousand participants, most of them professionals concerned about the decline in the use of Catalan in healthcare. The surveys They indicate that 87% of healthcare personnel understand Catalan, 70% can speak it, but between 20% and 50% actually speak it in the clinic. Forty% speak exclusively Spanish. In January 2024 This association was formalized and is attempting to be a catalyst and a catalyst for the administrations and healthcare centers to rectify the situation. Lluís Mont, a cardiologist at Hospital Clínic and professor at the University of Barcelona, ​​is its president.

— We were founded with the aim of disbanding as quickly as possible.

What is the objective of Salut pel Català?

— Promote the use of Catalan in the field of health and biomedical research. We are talking about doctors and nurses on staff, but also about administrative staff, psychologists, engineers, physiotherapists, and, especially, we include two very numerous and often forgotten groups: residents and doctors who carry out post-specialty training and research stays at university hospitals, what we call fellows, which contribute to the Spanish-speaking environment and are a factor in language change. Most come from Latin American countries or other parts of the country, and currently, there is no Catalan language requirement, although they are often the ones who have the most contact with patients.

Are doctors and nurses aware that providing care in Catalan is a patient's linguistic right?

— No. No specific training has been provided to remind people of this. I would say there is awareness among those motivated, the administration, and language organizations. But is knowledge of Catalan a core issue in hospitals and health centers? If it were important, it would be included in each center's strategic plan. There is a lot of fear of appearing in the hostile press and being singled out by the administration as a "Catalanist" hospital.

And not the other way around, how about a hospital that doesn't treat patients in Catalan?

— I don't think so. You go into X and there's not much more to it. At our center, we know that conflict should be avoided, and everyone does as much as possible. In the office, everyone treats patients in Spanish if they request it. The conflict arises when the opposite happens: Catalan-speaking patients are often forced to switch to Spanish. However, I think more and more users have discovered their linguistic rights.

There are studies that show that improves patient health if they serve you in your language.

— Yes, it's linked to the quality of care, and the higher the quality, the better. The more languages we can serve, the better. But this is a matter of resources. And the idea that needs to be reinforced is that Catalan is the language of Catalonia and should be the language of communication in healthcare.

The key is generational change of doctors and nurses. 40% of newly registered doctors were born abroad, and a further 20% were born in the rest of Spain. What should we do?

— We believe that people entering the workforce should also learn the language. Doctors and nurses should be registered: we can do something here, with more training, even mandatory training. Raising awareness isn't enough to change the trend. The government must be able to find a way to make learning Catalan mandatory, and at the same time explain why. How? We're studying the law, because the law says that citizens have the right to be treated in Catalan and you can't discriminate against them.

The C1 requirement is already required to obtain a public position.

— Nobody believes this.We've been like this for thirty years, and they haven't asked for it; they've just pretended to ask for it. Someone needs to start believing they're important.

And in private healthcare, there are no language requirements?

— Private healthcare is governed by the consumer code, which states that they must be able to treat you in Catalan, but large centers don't make it a workhorse. Now, if they teach you all the center's protocols, why isn't the language a requirement? I'm not going to tell you level C on the second day, but Can you come to work as a doctor here and not take a Catalan course in your entire life? In the budget of a large hospital, this is a minimal expense. Again, it should be legally required.

There are 4,700 residents in Catalonia, half of whom come from outside Catalonia. 40% of medical students alsoWhat is required of them in language?

— Everything is voluntary, because the distribution of residents depends on a national competitive examination. And the University also operates with a single district. We need to find a way for them to learn Catalan, because these are people who will be with patients: between four and five years of residency, perhaps after which they'll stay working and eventually get their position. In short, they've been required to learn Catalan after ten years of practice. Most learn it, yes, but that way. We must normalize the fact that doctors should be able to speak Catalan fluently and that everyone in the service should speak it to you. Because if you take level C and everyone speaks Spanish to you, it's over. Mandatory and awareness-raising, starting with Catalan speakers.

The Generalitat (Catalan Government) does offer free, massive courses for healthcare professionals. This year, there are a thousand. In 2024, the emergency plan covered the demand for 3,700 places. However, only 36% completed the course.

— Considering that it is voluntary, I think it is a very high percentage.

Starting in June 2024, all schools must have a language representative and implement a language management plan. Have you noticed?

— The instruction was published at the last government council meeting of the previous term. We'll see how intensively it will be applied. Theoretically, 85% of centers in Catalonia have submitted it, and it will be analyzed in January. The Medical Associations are also taking action, and we sense greater interest. One of our proposals is for the Ministries of Health and Language Policy to have a representative who specifically and primarily addresses Catalan in Health.