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2h ago

Spain’s Doctors Hold 24-Hour Strike Over Health-Staff Statute Reform

Unions are pressing for a medical‑specific statute to replace the ministry’s cross‑profession draft.

Image
Manifstación de médicos ante el Ministerio de Sanidad en protesta por la refrma del Estatuo Marco que regula las condiciones laborales de los profesionales sanitarios.
Médicos del CHUS en el servicio de Urgencias.
Las doctoras Mazón (cartel rojo) y Acosta (amarillo) junto a una compañera.

Overview

  • Hospitals and health centers operated on legally mandated minimum services comparable to a Sunday or holiday, keeping urgent and oncology procedures while postponing many scheduled surgeries, consultations and tests.
  • Participation figures varied widely by region and source, with Metges de Catalunya claiming 58% in Catalonia versus 9% reported by the health department, and Andalusia’s government reporting 47.97% across its service.
  • Demonstrations drew large turnouts in Madrid, Barcelona, Granada, Santander and other cities, with banners highlighting exhaustion, 24‑hour on‑call shifts and the demand for pensionable recognition of those hours.
  • The Ministry of Health defended its proposal as modernizing rights, reducing precariousness and ending 24‑hour shifts, and said talks now include regional governments, rejecting a statute solely for doctors as fragmenting.
  • Vigo faced additional strain as operating rooms at Álvaro Cunqueiro paused non‑urgent activity during the strike, and a separate indefinite walkout by radiologists is scheduled to begin on Monday, threatening imaging services.