The doctors' strike has already forced the suspension of more than 5,500 healthcare procedures

PalmaThe first two days of the strike called by doctors against the reform of the "Estatut Marc" of the Ministry of Health have had a notable impact in the Balearic Islands, with the suspension of 137 surgical interventions and 5,408 consultations, according to data provided by IB-Salut). Specifically, during these two days, 2,840 consultations and diagnostic tests have been cancelled, as well as 2,568 primary care visits. On Tuesday alone, the protest has led to the cancellation of 65 operations, 1,594 consultations and diagnostic tests, and 1,056 consultations in health centers. In total, the number of affected medical acts amounts to 5,545 in the first two days of a strike that will last until Thursday, a day on which unions have called for mobilizations throughout the State.

The protest is part of the rejection by part of the medical community of the reform of the "Estatut Marc", the norm that regulates the labor conditions of the health personnel of the National Health System. The unions consider that the proposal from the Ministry of Health does not resolve the main demands of the professionals and, in some aspects, does not improve the current conditions.

Against 24-hour on-call duties

Among the main complaints, the duration and organization of the working day stand out, especially the 24-hour on-call model, which doctors consider excessive and insufficiently compensated. The group calls for a real reduction in the care burden and better recognition of effective working time. They also denounce the lack of salary improvements proportional to the responsibility and training required by the profession, as well as the rest conditions after on-call duties, which they consider insufficient in many cases.

Another of the central points of the conflict is the demand for a specific statute for the medical profession, distinct from the general regime of the rest of the healthcare staff. Professionals argue that their training, clinical responsibility, and level of demand justify their own regulation. Unions also warn that current conditions contribute to work overload and the difficulty of retaining professionals in the public system, in a context of growing mobility towards the private sector or other countries. The strike will culminate on Thursday with gatherings and demonstrations in different parts of the State, while negotiations with the Ministry of Health on the future of the reform continue.