What Has Driven Doctors to Strike?: "We Are Facing a Workday That Can Be Extended Indefinitely"

Doctors have raised the stakes this Friday in their ongoing confrontation with the Ministry of Health, with the negotiation of the Framework Statute in the background. The regulation being developed by Minister Mónica Díaz is seen as a "direct attack" on the profession, according to the strike organisers, the Spanish Confederation of Medical Unions. The general secretary of the union, Víctor Pedrera from Alicante, was one of the prominent figures at the rally held this Friday at Plaza de la Montañeta in Alicante.

Dr. Pedrera highlighted one of the most controversial aspects of the Statute, which is the number of working hours doctors may be subjected to. "While a 37.5-hour workweek is being considered for the general workforce, doctors are facing a workday that can be extended indefinitely. Theoretically, this means a doctor could work up to 45 hours a week on a quarterly basis, and depending on service needs, they could be required to work over 80 hours in a single week."

This reality is "completely incompatible" with family life, occupational health, and even patient safety, explained Pedrera, who cites this as one of the reasons why Spain is "running out of doctors." This is despite being the EU country with the highest number of medical schools per capita, making it one of the leading "producers" of medical graduates.

The nature of on-call shifts is another focal point of the doctors' protests. "They remain 17 hours on weekdays and 24 hours on holidays and Sundays. No progress has been made to reduce these marathon shifts. The minister claims they have been reduced, but that's not true; what has been implemented is a pre-shift rest, which does not count as working time, meaning those hours can still be demanded from the doctor in the future."

This situation leads doctors to demand a regulation that allows them to negotiate individually with the Ministry, "and not through unions that do not represent the medical profession," explained the general secretary of the CESM.