Overview

• Demonstrations and walkouts were held across Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, Santander, Valencia and cities in Galicia during the 24-hour stoppage on October 3.
• Turnout figures diverged sharply: Catalonia’s Health Department reported 9% versus 58% claimed by Metges de Catalunya; Madrid officials put participation at 12–15%; Andalusia at 48%; Valencia at 18% versus 90% asserted by unions; Cantabria at 42% versus roughly 70% from union tallies.
• Regional authorities enforced elevated minimum staffing that kept urgent care running, with Asturias including residents in minimums, while several hospitals curtailed routine activity, such as Álvaro Cunqueiro in Vigo halting operating rooms except for oncology and emergencies.
• Doctors’ demands center on a separate statute recognizing their profession, a 35-hour effective workweek, on-calls that count for social security, caps on primary-care agendas and improved remuneration and stability.
• This was the second national medical strike in under four months, with the Medical Association’s president joining protests in Galicia and several regional health leaders criticizing the ministry’s draft as overreaching.