First day of doctors' strike at primary care centers and hospitals across the state

BarcelonaThe first healthcare strike in a system at war with the Spanish government. All doctors in primary care centers and hospitals across the country are called to action starting this Tuesday to protest the new framework statute being negotiated by the Ministry of Health for months. This statute, which regulates the working conditions of healthcare professionals in Spain, has not been updated in over 20 years. For now, Doctors of Catalonia, the largest medical union in Spain, has announced four days of strike action: this Tuesday and Wednesday, and on January 14th and 15th, following the strike on October 3rd.It brought together hundreds of professionals at the doors of the Health DepartmentAccording to the Catalan union, the strike participation rate on Tuesday morning was 45%, while the Catalan Health Department (Salut) reported 7.2%. A similar situation occurred in the afternoon, when the organizers put the participation rate for the first day of the strike at 45%, while the department lowered it to 7%. In the streets, the protest began at the doors of the Spanish government delegation and ended in Plaça de Sant Jaume, with the aim of pressuring the various administrations to consider the need for a single statute for doctors. Around 800 doctors, according to the Barcelona City Police, demonstrated in the Catalan capital for their own medical collective agreement, against excessive workloads and professional burnout.

Doctors in Catalonia have already warned that this time "the protests will not stop, but will continue until the administration addresses their main demand," namely, a single statute that exclusively regulates the healthcare, organizational, and labor aspects of doctors. The demonstration is taking place simultaneously in other parts of the country throughThe Association for a Medical and Professional Statute (APEMYF)The platform they jointly promoted with 16 medical organizations to achieve their own statute.

The union's general secretary, Xavier Lleonart, argued that younger doctors want decent working conditions so they can properly care for patients: "They don't want to have overloaded schedules or put patients' health at risk with 24-hour shifts, and they don't want to have to suffer burnout"," he argued.

Statewide Protests

Tuesday's protests spread throughout Spain. However, the largest demonstrations took place in Barcelona and Madrid. The organizing unions, the State Confederation of Medical Unions (CESM) and the Andalusian Medical Union (SMA), hailed the day as a success, estimating participation between 85% and 90%. Meanwhile, the regional health ministries reported varying figures on participation. For example, while the Cantabrian government estimated strike support at 35%, the Riojan government put it at 7.75%. In the Balearic Islands hospitals, the government reported 85% participation. Despite this, several regional governments led by the People's Party (PP) have supported the doctors' demands and have called on the Ministry of Health to reconsider its proposed reform of the Framework Statute. Sources within the People's Party (PP) have criticized the strike, arguing that it has resulted in the cancellation of "thousands of surgeries and medical appointments." In contrast, Health Minister Mónica García, responding to journalists' questions, expressed "utmost respect for the demands" and acknowledged the government's awareness of the shortcomings of the current framework statute. "We have included all the demands that fall under this ministry's purview in the text. However, some demands from doctors remain unresolved, but this ministry cannot overstep its bounds," the minister added, clarifying that the response will have to come from the autonomous communities or other laws, such as a budget law or royal decrees on social security. "We will continue working and negotiating," García stated. More demonstrations

However, the back-and-forth between the various unions involved has caused tensions across all professions within the system, and they are now preparing for two months of protests. On the one hand, the medical unions have already made it clear that they wanta single statutedifferentiated from the rest of the healthcare workers, exclusively regulating their conditions.

On the other hand, the other unions negotiating the statute, including the main nurses' union, Satse, have accused the Ministry of Health of neglecting their interests due to "parallel negotiations" with doctors. But the objective is the same as that of the doctors: to fill the streets to force the ministry to listen to their demands at a time when hospitals and primary care centers are already beginning to feel strained due to the flu epidemic. Besides Satse, CCOO, UGT, CSIF, and CIG-Saúde have also announced mobilizations, calling an indefinite strike starting on January 27, which will be repeated every Tuesday "as long as necessary."