This is how the maternity ward in Manacor has reopened: "Women aren't coming. It's as if they've lost confidence."

PalmThe maternity ward at Manacor Hospital resumed normal operations on January 27th, after being in a state of contingency since the 19th. During this period, and due to the inability to cover shifts with the two regular gynecologists, deliveries were referred to other hospitals. According to sources close to the hospital, no births were registered there during those days. Now, despite the reopening of the service, the atmosphere remains uncertain: "Women aren't coming. It's as if they've lost confidence," the same sources explain. "We're attending to cases, but fewer than before. We hope we'll recover," they add. Meanwhile, the service is operational and prepared to attend to any pregnant women who come, whatever their problem may be.

The situation in the maternity ward has been at the center of public debate for weeks following the crisis in the Gynecology and Obstetrics Department. In mid-January, the Catalan Ministry of Health activated a contingency plan due to a shortage of gynecologists. This decision led to the transfer of normal deliveries to other hospitals and left the delivery room virtually without routine activity, limited, on paper, only to urgent cases or imminent births. However, according to sources at the hospital, no such cases were actually attended to. During those days, the atmosphere in the hospital was tense, with evident tension between gynecologists and midwives.

The measure provoked a strong reaction among healthcare professionals and users. Midwives at the center denounced that, despite the staff remaining the same, they were not allowed to attend to normal deliveries, while pregnant women were referred to other hospitals, often far from their homes and transported by ambulance. Social organizations, the Balearic Association of Midwives, and the Naixença collective—linked to respectful childbirth—warned that the decision created territorial inequalities and jeopardized a care model that had made Manacor a center of reference for physiological births.

Support from professionals at other centers

Faced with social and professional pressure, the Catalan Health Service (Salut) announced the deactivation of the Contingency Plan and its commitment to restoring normal services in the Manacor maternity ward, which, in terms of staffing, was achieved on January 27. However, organizations and professionals have warned that the underlying problem (the structural shortage of gynecologists) will not be resolved until structural measures are adopted to guarantee the continuity of the service in the medium and long term. For the time being, the crisis has been resolved thanks to professionals from other hospitals who have agreed to cover shifts in Manacor. Meanwhile, more than twenty social and professional organizations issued a joint statement warning that the situation could lead to a process of dismantling or covert privatization of the service. In this context, they demanded a structural solution to the lack of medical staff and the full restoration of the maternity ward to guarantee safe, high-quality care for a catchment population of over 130,000 people. The Manacor City Council has endorsed this demand and has called on the Regional Ministry of Health to guarantee a quality gynecological service.

The crisis in the maternity ward is part of a broader context of structural difficulties within the Balearic Islands' public healthcare system, particularly in hospital services requiring a high level of specialization. Professionals and unions have repeatedly warned of these issues. difficulties in filling positionsThe excessive workload and lack of incentives to retain medical staff in certain centers.

In this context, the case of Manacor has become a symbol of the growing discontent with the management of healthcare resources and the fear that short-term decisions will end up having permanent consequences for essential services. The organizations and groups involved insist that maintaining a public, nearby, and fully operational maternity ward is key both for clinical safety and to guaranteeing women's right to decide how and where they want to give birth.