The doctors' strike already leaves more than 11,000 appointments and 212 operations suspended

PalmaThe fourth week of the doctors' strike in the Balearic Islands, called to demand a specific framework statute for the medical collective and which this Thursday reaches its fourth and final day, has already caused the suspension of 212 operations and 11,239 consultations. According to provisional data provided by IBSalut, this Thursday alone, 41 surgical interventions and 1,418 consultations and diagnostic tests have been cancelled, in addition to 1,694 Primary Care visits.

The Simebal union assures that the mobilization has maintained stable support throughout the week and highlights an increase in participation in the gatherings that take place every morning in front of the archipelago's public hospitals. During these days, strike participation has been 80% in hospital outpatient consultations and radiology services, while in Primary Care it has stood at around 50%.

In specialties such as anesthesiology and in a large part of surgical services, participation has reached up to 90%, and among resident internal physicians (MIR) it remains at 65%. The union insists that the conflict remains open because, as it denounces, the Spanish government has not yet initiated effective negotiations to agree on a specific framework statute for physicians.

The protest is part of the discontent of a part of the medical collective regarding the reform of the framework statute, the regulations that govern the labor conditions of healthcare personnel of the National Health System. The unions denounce that the proposal from the Ministry of Health does not respond to the main demands of the professionals and that, in some points, it does not represent an improvement compared to the current situation.

Rejection of 24-hour guards

One of the main criticisms focuses on the duration and organization of the working day, especially regarding the 24-hour on-call system, which doctors consider excessive and poorly compensated. The collective demands an effective reduction in the care burden and more adequate recognition of actual working time. They also regret the lack of salary increases in line with the level of responsibility and the training required by the profession, in addition to rest conditions after on-call duties that they consider insufficient in many cases.

Another axis of the conflict is the claim for a specific statute for the medical profession, distinct from the general regime applied to the rest of the health personnel. Professionals argue that their clinical responsibility, the degree of demand, and specific training justify differentiated regulation. Unions also warn that current conditions favor work overload and hinder the retention of professionals in the public system, in a context marked by increased mobility towards the private sector and other countries. The strike will culminate on Thursday with rallies and demonstrations in various parts of the State, while negotiations with the Ministry of Health on the future of the reform continue.