Tens of 1000’s of Spanish public well being employees and their supporters staged an indication on Sunday to demand extra main healthcare employees, and to protest in opposition to what they are saying is the progressive dismantling of the general public well being system in favour of personal suppliers by the conservative regional authorities in Madrid.
The protest within the Spanish capital, dubbed the “white tidal wave” due to the white medical coats worn by many protesters, passed off underneath the slogan “Madrid rises up for public well being”.
The Madrid area is on the centre of present protests. Partial walkouts began within the area final Monday, with an all-out strike referred to as for November 21 for practically 5,000 Madrid medical doctors.
The protest on Sunday was referred to as by neighbourhood associations, labour unions and leftist political events.
The Madrid regional authorities, led by the In style Celebration’s Isabel Ayuso, has come underneath fireplace lately, and particularly because the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, for poor staffing in hospitals and first healthcare centres.
Organisers say that though Madrid is the Spanish area with the very best earnings per capita, it additionally spends the least quantity per capita on main healthcare. They are saying that for each two euros spent on healthcare in Madrid, one results in the non-public sector.
“The folks of Madrid deserve high quality main healthcare and never delays of greater than per week to see household medical doctors or paediatricians,” mentioned an area medical doctors’ union.
Ayuso denies there are employees shortages and says the protests and strikes are being orchestrated by left-wing events within the run-up to municipal and regional elections subsequent yr.