'Zombie' doctors take to the streets: "I've spent five or six years of my life just doing on-call shifts"

BarcelonaOn Travessera de les Corts, where the Catalan Ministry of Health is located, there was a carnival atmosphere this Friday morning. The props for the demonstration included doctors' coats, masks, makeup, and protest signs, but far from being a day of leisure, hundreds of doctors gathered with a clear objective. Chanting slogans like "Medical agreement, now!", the protest organized by Doctors of Catalonia is demanding a specific agreement that exclusively regulates doctors' working conditions. Jordi Aparicio, a doctor from Terrassa, explained that he took to the streets today after years of demanding improvements in the sector. "We are asking to be able to provide better care to our patients, because it's not just about salaries, but also about the quality of care," he stated.

The demand is part of the five-day strike called by the strike committee of the Spanish Confederation of Medical Unions (CESM), which includes regional organizations such as the Catalan union. In this context, the Ministry of Health and labor unions signed a new framework statute two weeks ago to regulate the working conditions of healthcare professionals in Spain, which had not been updated for 22 years. However, the new regulation does not satisfy the organizations representing doctors, who have been protesting for months with strikes and demonstrations.

According to the Catalan Health Department, the strike participation rate this Friday was 7.2% in the morning, while the largest union puts the percentage of workers participating at 45% in primary care and 29% in public and private hospitals (Siscat). The general secretary of Doctors of Catalonia, Xavier Lleonart, thanked the group for gathering in such an exceptional context: "What happens now will shape the situation for years to come, and we must fight for the people we love." He also announced that they are working to take to the streets next month with other sectors that have been leading protests in recent weeks. "We will join forces with teachers, firefighters, and farmers," Lleonart anticipated. Regarding the size of the mobilization, the Barcelona City Police indicated that there were approximately a thousand demonstrators. This time, on the eighth strike by healthcare workers, Doctors of Catalonia opted for an ironic statement. Thus, with the sarcastic intention of highlighting why the healthcare sector "lives the best," he has organized the Carnivals of privilege And it has divided the doctors into five groups, "one for each of the problems the sector is facing," as the organization emphasized. These are 24-hour on-call shifts, excessive workload, the right to work-life balance, working hours, and the lack of professionals.

For example, Aparicio has joined the group focused on excessive workload to denounce the increase in tasks in primary care. "Before the pandemic, care was only in person, while now telemedicine has been added," the doctor pointed out, asserting that "it's impossible and makes work-life balance difficult." Ia Jaumà, a family doctor from the Banyoles Basic Health Area, agreed, protesting in the same group: "We've normalized scheduling appointments within the same time frame, and we must know when to say enough is enough."

Under the slogan "It's not a vocation, it's exploitation" and wearing zombie masks, the first group of doctors protesting against 24-hour shifts left the Ministry of Health, blocking the Travessera de les Corts with a dance to the songThrillerMichael Jackson's song was used as a metaphor to express the sector's exhaustion. One of the professionals who protested in this way was Pablo Velasco, an intensive care physician in Granollers, who highlighted the professional burnout. "If I look back on my entire work experience, I've spent between five and six years of my life just doing on-call shifts, and that affects work-life balance," he lamented.

"We are forced to protest"

In fact, work-life balance has been another major point of contention this morning. Sergio Morello emphasized this point from this section of the demonstration, using the slogan "Living like this is dying of vocation." He explained that this is a time when there is a shortage of doctors and working hours are increasing. "For us, it's important that work doesn't become the entire weight of our lives; it can't absorb everything like a black hole," he argued.

At the sound of a whistle, the doctors continued their slow march along Gran Vía Carlos III and Avenida Diagonal, following a circular route to end back in front of the Department of Health. Despite being divided into groups, many participants agreed that they shifted their focus from one group to another. This was the case for Paula and Daniela, who started with the demand for work overload and ended up with the demand for 24-hour shifts. "We would have joined them all because they're all closely related," they explained, adding that "in many jobs, rest is valued more." Once the doctors arrived back at the Department of Health, still divided into five groups, the "kings of the Carnival parade" applauded the demonstration, presenting manifestos to explain each of their demands. "It's not a privilege to work more than the rest of the healthcare staff," they emphasized, adding that "what's at risk is everyone's health." The group of doctors also reiterated that they will continue to take to the streets as many times as necessary. "We'd prefer not to be here, but we're forced into it," Jaumà acknowledged. In addition to this week's strike, the regional unions and the CESM have called for five-day strikes each month, with the expectation that they will continue until June, to force changes.