The Association for the Defense of Public Health endorses the Framework Statute and demands a reorganization of the system in the Balearic Islands

PalmThe Association for the Defense of Public Healthcare in the Balearic Islands (ADSPIB) warned on Wednesday that the doctors' strikes in the Islands against the draft of the new Framework Statute do not address the need for a reorganization of the healthcare system in the Balearic Islands. At a press conference at the Official College of Nurses of the Balearic Islands (COIBA), the organization's president, Joan de Pedro, indicated that the management of healthcare services and issues such as working hours and salaries are the responsibility of the regional government. In this regard, he argued that the Framework Statute is "a step in the right direction" and warned that "refusing it is tantamount to allowing delays and problems that affect people's rights to continue accumulating." According to De Pedro, transforming the system requires improving working conditions, reorganizing doctors' schedules to allow them to cover more hours without jeopardizing their labor rights, and committing to full-time dedication to public healthcare.

The president of ADSPIB also emphasized the need to address the problem of waiting lists and linked it to the system's excessive reliance on overtime, "rigid" schedules, and inadequate planning of healthcare time. "Until this problem is addressed, any improvement in working conditions will be insufficient to meet the growing demand for healthcare," he stressed. De Pedro warned that if the waiting list problem is not resolved, it will effectively promote privatization, as it forces patients to seek alternatives in the private sector when care is delayed. Medical shifts to improve care

For his part, the president of the association defended the implementation of shifts for doctors as a measure to increase the healthcare system's capacity, improve continuity of care, and reduce reliance on on-call duty as a structural mechanism. "Refusing this reorganization means accepting that delays will continue to occur, affecting the population's right to health," he stated. Furthermore, sources from ADSPIB have proposed implementing incentives for doctors who dedicate themselves exclusively to the public system without combining their work with private clinics. "This is not about limiting professional rights, but about aligning incentives with the general interest," they clarified. According to the association, in this practice, where part of the professional time is spent outside the public system, the responsiveness suffers and waiting lists tend to become chronic.