Why thousands of health workers are protesting in Spain

Thousands of health workers in Spain’s capital, Madrid, hit the streets on Sunday (15 January) to protest against the conservative regional government for the alleged “destruction” of the public health system.

As many as 30,000 protesters gathered for the demonstration, as per a regional government spokesman, Reuters reported.

Some wearing white coats chanted: “Cutting public health is criminal”. Others carried signs with slogans reading “SOS Public Healthcare” and “Stop Privatization”, according to Associated Press (AP).

The demonstration comes months after public health workers and their supporters staged a protest in Madrid last November. It was dubbed the ‘white tidal wave’ on account of the white medical coats worn by the protesters.

Why is Madrid seeing a series of walkouts and protests by health workers? What is the regional government’s stance? Let’s take a closer look.

Madrid protests

Protesting health workers have accused the regional government, led by Isabel Ayuso, of dismantling public health services.

They claim that the Popular Party government in Madrid has reduced the funding of the public health care system which has led to a severe paucity of resources and staff in public hospitals, as per Indian Express.

The unions that organized Sunday’s protest said that even though Madrid has the highest per capita income, it shells out the “least amount per capita on primary health care of any Spanish region”, reported AP.

Protesters have also alleged that the regional government is favouring private health providers.

The unions claim that for every two euros spent on health care in Madrid, one goes to the private sector, as per AP.

Last week, there were reports that the hospitals in Spain were strained. The country’s health minister Carolina Darias attributed it to the “post-pandemic situation”.

Anadolu Agency (AA) reported citing broadcaster TVE that the hospitals in Madrid, Toledo, Castile and Leon, Aragon, Catalonia, and Valencia were hit the most.

“We have a chronic deficit of hospital beds … But now, with the spike of respiratory infections, we’re starting the day with up to 110 patients that cannot get a bed for days,” a doctor told reporters outside the La Paz hospital in Madrid.

“We are asking for help for our patients. They are in deplorable, inhumane conditions. We are not asking for better salaries, we are asking for safety and dignity for our patients,” the doctor was quoted as saying by Anadolu Agency last week.

Voicing similar concerns, another doctor told the news agency Reuters on Sunday that they are unable to extend proper care to patients.

“We have about 40 or 50 patients per day and can give them about six minutes each. The problem is that they do not allow us to give proper care to patients,” Ana Encinas, a doctor with 37 years of experience in primary care in Madrid, told the news agency.

Meanwhile, the Spanish health minister has urged regional governments to hold a “dialogue” with healthcare workers to resolve strikes and prevent new ones, AA reported.

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What Ayuso has said

Ayuso’s Popular Party has been slammed in recent years over alleged shortages of staff in primary healthcare centers, particularly since the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020.

Her policies during the pandemic attracted scrutiny as Madrid reported one of the highest excess mortality rates in Europe, noted Deutsche Welle (DW).

The protesters took to the streets last November against the Ayuso government’s plan to allow more private players in healthcare partnerships, DW reported.

Ayuso has denied the allegations, claiming that protests were driven by the “political interests of left-wing rivals” in the run-up to municipal and regional elections in May across most of Spain.

During the November 2022 protests, she had said the demonstrations were organised to aid the centre-left Spanish Socialist Workers’ party in gaining prominence.

“It was held to find new far-left leadership for the Madrid region because of the collapse the Socialist party is going to suffer. If it had solely been a demonstration about public healthcare, don’t be in any doubt that two million madrileños would have attended,” she had said, as per Indian Express.

More protests

Besides Madrid, protests and strikes are planned by healthcare workers in other places in Spain including Catalonia, Valencia, Extremadura, Andalusia, Navarre and Aragon.

Notably, nurses have also led industrial action in the United Kingdom over the past year, with more walkouts planned in the coming days over working conditions and pay disputes.

With inputs from agencies

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