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Spanish Doctors Launch Four-Day National Strike Over Health Statute

Regional governments enforce minimum services to keep emergency care running during protests.

Overview

  • The walkouts, called by CESM and the Andalusian Medical Union, oppose the government’s draft Estatuto Marco and demand a separate statute tailored to doctors’ working conditions.
  • Large demonstrations are set for Madrid at 10:00 from Congress to the Health Ministry and for Barcelona today and Wednesday on routes announced by Metges de Catalunya.
  • The Health Ministry defends its proposal as overdue reform, highlighting mandatory public hiring rounds every two years and a cap that cuts 24-hour on-call shifts to a maximum of 17 hours.
  • Autonomous communities are maintaining urgent and critical services under minimum-service orders during a surge in respiratory infections, with Andalusia detailing holiday-level staffing, SUAP coverage, ER staffing rules, and specific levels for 061 and tele-operations.
  • Unions at the official negotiating table plan an indefinite strike from January rejecting a doctors-only law, while MC and APEMYF have set additional strike days on January 14–15.