Health limits resident doctors' shifts to a maximum of 17 hours

BarcelonaResident medical interns (MIR) will stop working 24-hour shifts. The Council of Ministers this Tuesday gave the green light to limit shifts to a maximum of 17 hours and also to improve remuneration, which, in addition to the salary, will include a training supplement that will increase progressively each year of residency. The change to the workday will apply starting September 1st of next year and the salary increase starting January 1st. However, the ordinary workday of the MIR will not be allowed to exceed 35 hours per week each semester and each healthcare center will organize the residents' schedules prioritizing educational objectives and the competencies of their training program, and must communicate them at least two months in advance.

The new regulations guarantee a minimum rest of 12 continuous hours between shifts and 24 uninterrupted hours of weekly rest, which may be accumulated with the daily rest when applicable. They will be mandatory, effective, non-renounceable, and non-recoverable, the Spanish government emphasizes. If the on-call shift is performed after the ordinary workday, without a minimum rest of 12 hours between both, they will be counted together and will not be allowed to exceed 17 hours. For example, if 7 ordinary hours have been worked before the on-call shift, up to 10 hours of on-call duty may be performed, but afterwards, it will be necessary to rest for at least 12 hours before returning to the ordinary workday.

The MIR reject the reform

The MIR Spain Association (AME) has criticized the decree approved by the Spanish government because it considers that it entails a loss of purchasing power and has announced that it will demand its repeal after the November 29 elections. Firstly, the organization criticizes that they have approved the reform "at the doors of a general election and in light of the possibility of a change of government", which will have to manage the labor, economic and organizational consequences of the new regulation. Furthermore, it highlights that the royal decree "lacks the necessary consensus", since more than 90% of the residents consulted in an internal AME survey are against the current text, which is also rejected by medical trade unions and representatives of the autonomous communities.

Although it acknowledges that some of its proposals have been incorporated into the text and that there are positive advances, especially regarding the limitation of working hours, mandatory breaks, time tracking and the prevention of occupational risks, the association asserts that its allegations regarding remuneration have not been addressed. "This modification has not been accompanied by a sufficient additional budgetary allocation to truly modernize and dignify specialized health training. We cannot accept that a reform that aims to improve the working conditions of residents ends up causing a loss of purchasing power as a result of the reduction in on-call shifts", it concludes.