Healthcare Workers Demand Resignation of Health Minister at Alicante Hospital

Healthcare Minister Marciano Gómez's visit to Alicante General Hospital this Monday was met with protests. A group of healthcare workers, representing unions UGT, CCOO, Satse, and Intersindical, greeted the minister with calls for his resignation, demanding greater investment in public healthcare and criticizing the diversion of funds to the private sector through the shock plan strategy.

Gómez visited Alicante on Monday to present the construction project for a new hospital building, expected to be completed by 2027. The protesting healthcare workers disrupted the planned press conference location, forcing the minister and his team to seek refuge inside the hospital to address the media without the backdrop of protest chants.

Francisco Tevar, a member of CCOO and part of the protesting healthcare workers, justified the protest by stating that Gómez "acts against public healthcare" and that his management represents a "setback" for the system, which requires more investment in personnel and technology. He also criticized the ongoing shock plan implemented by the Ministry in collaboration with the private sector, aimed at reducing patient waiting lists. Tevar argued that this strategy "favours" the private system through resource diversion, which could be avoided with a stronger commitment to public healthcare.

The minister questioned these demands, asserting that the Generalitat has just approved "the largest healthcare budget in its history," amounting to approximately 9.18 billion euros, an 8% increase from the previous year. "We have increased personnel spending by 340 million euros. These are the figures and they represent the Valencian government's commitment to public healthcare. The rest are slogans, overused and outdated."

Regarding the increase in waiting lists, Gómez admitted that "people, not numbers, should come first," focusing on prioritizing the treatment of patients whose conditions are life-threatening. "My strategy is to reduce priority one, which we have decreased by 58%. Our commitment is that anyone with a life-threatening condition will be operated on within thirty days."

Another demand highlighted by the unions is the implementation of a 35-hour workweek for healthcare workers. In this regard, the minister stated that the Ministry will "align with the General Table for all public functions," making its application in the healthcare sector dependent on that agreement.