The Can Misses Emergency Department, in a critical situation due to the lack of doctors with MIR

PalmaPatients arriving at the Emergency Department of the Eivissa hospital Can Misses are fully facing the shortage of healthcare professionals, a situation that public healthcare in the Islands has been dragging on and for which no solution is found. The Pitiusan health center lacks doctors with the MIR (a training system that doctors undertake in Spain after finishing their degree to specialize), a situation that does not violate legality, but which does hinder the daily functioning of the center, as socialist deputy Irantzu Fernández denounced this Tuesday in the Parliament session. The usual practice is for professionals attending Emergencies to have completed the MIR and to have a specialization in family medicine – in 2030, the first cohort of doctors specializing in Emergencies will graduate.

According to the PSIB representative, out of the approximately 24 doctors attending the Emergency service, only four have the MIR. These figures contradict sources from the Ministry of Health, which indicate that the total number of doctors is 27.5 and that seven have the MIR. Be that as it may, professionals who have completed the specialization are a small minority. This situation is generating conflicts with shifts, on-call duties, and among professionals, because the training of a doctor who has not completed the specialization is inferior to that of one who has the MIR, who often has to supervise the work of their colleagues. Even the most trained nurses have disagreements with the criteria and decisions of doctors without the MIR. A poster that a professional hung on the door of the consultation is good proof of how things are, as can be seen in the image below.

"In this clinic, a professional and capable doctor works, but without a MIR. Nursing staff, if you do not agree with my criteria, go to your coordination and notify that you will not work with me this shift. Dear patient, if you want a doctor with a MIR, you must request it from triage, to see how many there are on each shift because there are very few," says the sign. One factor that has contributed to this situation is the hiring of doctors who have not trained in Spain and who have not followed the same academic path.

The few MIR doctors at Can Misses "have problems with their on-call duties and taking vacations," explains Fernández, adding that shifts have been worked without any MIR doctors. The socialist deputy emphasizes that the teaching unit is in danger, because the professionals who have to do their rotation in Emergencies need adequately trained tutors. Fernández admits that "there have always been doctors without a MIR in Primary Care and Emergencies," but also criticizes that "these numbers have never been reached before."

The shortage of doctors with a MIR fully affects the organization of Emergencies. "There are intensity levels," says Fernández, giving as an example the demand involved in treating critical patients. Furthermore, this situation has reached its limit on the eve of summer.

For her part, the counselor Manuela García has responded that patients "are very well attended in the Emergency service" and has listed technological innovations that the Ministry has implemented at Can Misses. Health sources point out that the context must be taken into account and that the main objective is "to guarantee healthcare with the current resources, given the difficulty of bringing doctors to strained areas like Ibiza due to housing problems." "The people being hired are general practitioners," they point out, adding that about 14 doctors from Primary Care, the 061, and the hospital are collaborating to "complete the on-call duties for Emergencies."