Mass Protests in the Community of Madrid
At 09:50 in the morning, a hundred doctors gathered in front of the Health Department on Aduana Street 29, marking the fourth consecutive day of strike action. With slogans such as “It’s not a vocation, it’s exploitation” and “We want to heal, but without getting sick”, health professionals expressed their discontent with the working conditions they face.
The strike, which will last until Friday, March 20, aims primarily to reject the draft of the Framework Statute from the Ministry of Health, led by Mónica García. The doctors demand a specific statute to regulate their working conditions and assert that if a satisfactory agreement is not reached, they will continue their protests until June.
Testimonies collected during the demonstration reveal the direct impact that these long shifts have on the quality of medical service. Jesús, a doctor at the Hospital del Henares, commented: “24-hour shifts only serve to exhaust us, and that affects the patient”. Meanwhile, Alicia, a doctor at the Severo Ochoa Hospital, detailed how she chains up to six shifts a month: “On the day after a shift, you’re defeated; you just want to sleep”.
María, a Family Medicine resident at the San Carlos Clinical Hospital, shared her exhausting experience: “In my last shifts, I’ve averaged two hours of sleep each time”. She also highlighted how she has to travel to rural areas without any compensation for the expenses incurred. Her account exposes an alarming reality for many young doctors.
As the protest progressed, the name of Mónica García echoed among the demonstrators. The minister has faced criticism following a recent video where she defended the same demands that her colleagues are now advocating. However, her current stance has been described as “political considerations”, which has caused discontent among healthcare professionals.
Ángela, general secretary of Amyts, was emphatic in stating: “Partisan politics has long since triumphed over medicine”. This perception reflects a growing frustration within the medical community about how their needs have been sidelined in favour of political interests. Tomás Merina, elected president of the Madrid Medical Association, also expressed his concern regarding this change in Mónica García.
Apart from rejecting the current Framework Statute and the long working hours, doctors are demanding a series of significant improvements: a fair regional salary supplement and an effective reduction to a 35-hour work week. Currently, Madrid maintains a demanding 37.5 hours per week.
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