Overview
- Medical unions have called nationwide walkouts for January 14–15, with a march in Madrid from Congress to the Health Ministry and rallies across regions.
- Roughly 27,000 doctors are called to strike in the Madrid region, where high minimum staffing tied to flu pressures could blunt disruption, and Galicia set 100% coverage in critical services.
- Health Minister Mónica García asked regional governments to state their positions on the unions’ demands, noting a recent pre-agreement on a revised Estatuto Marco with broader health-sector unions.
- Madrid health chief Fátima Matute accused the ministry of unilateral talks that excluded regions and medical unions and urged coordination with Public Function, Labor and Finance ministries.
- Unions coordinating the action (including CESM, AMYTS, Metges de Catalunya, SME, SMA and O’MEGA) seek a 35-hour week, distinct A1+ classification and better-paid on-call work, and warn the strike could extend into February; Matute also defended the region’s use of a €61 million remnant tied to Fundación Jiménez Díaz after audit scrutiny.