1000’s of well being staff gathered within the Spanish capital Madrid to protest towards the right-wing regional authorities on January 15, the Related Press reported. The protesters alleged that the ruling In style Social gathering is dismantling the general public well being system to advertise the personal sector.
Whereas elevating slogans and holding banners studying “SOS Public Well being” and “Cease privatization,” the protesters stood in entrance of the Ministry of Well being constructing and marched towards town heart.
The most recent demonstration got here simply two months after at the least 200,000 individuals took to the streets of Madrid in November 2022. The capital has seen such protests for the reason that coronavirus pandemic broke out round three years in the past.
Why are the bathrooms protesting in Madrid?
The bathrooms denounce that beneath the federal government of the In style Social gathering, headed by Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the financing of Madrid’s public well being has been minimize. They allege that this has induced a extreme scarcity of assets and workers in public hospitals. As well as, sufferers have to attend endlessly and their key screening appointments, reminiscent of mammograms, are canceled or rescheduled for months sooner or later, in response to France 24.
In statements to the media, the unions that organized the January 15 protests mentioned: “Madrid is the Spanish area that spends the least per capita on main well being care regardless of having the very best per capita earnings,” AP reported. They add that for each two euros spent on healthcare in Madrid, one goes to the personal sector.
The protesters allege that Ayuso for years has favored personal healthcare. The chief first got here beneath fireplace after she launched a brand new mannequin for non-hospital emergency well being facilities, which remained severely understaffed. This grew to become one of many most important causes for the protests final yr as a result of “overwork, countless appointments and lack of time to see sufferers”, The Guardian reported.
How has Ayuso responded?
In response to AP, Ayuso has said that the newest protests are motivated by “political pursuits of left-wing events” who need to defeat her within the upcoming regional elections in Might.
Previous to this, through the November 2022 demonstrations, he had responded to his critics by saying that the protests weren’t held within the curiosity of the general public well being system however to assist the center-left Spanish Socialist Employees Social gathering to return to prominence.
Ayuso added: “It has been achieved to hunt a brand new excessive left management for the Group of Madrid within the face of the collapse that the Socialist Social gathering goes to endure. If it had solely been an indication on public well being, have little doubt that two million individuals from Madrid would have attended.
Do these protests solely happen in Madrid?
In response to varied experiences, the strikes and protests in Madrid will unfold all through Spain, significantly in Catalonia, Valencia, Extremadura, Andalusia, Navarra and Aragon for comparable causes. The unions have introduced completely different dates for the protests.
Particularly, healthcare staff have been protesting around the globe as a result of overwork, inadequate pay and poor working situations, particularly for the reason that begin of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unionized healthcare staff within the UK have introduced that they’ll stage protests and strikes on January 18 and 19 to demand a pay improve. Final yr the US, Germany and Turkey additionally witnessed comparable protests.