"When Will the 35-Hour Workweek Arrive for Healthcare Workers in Alicante?"

It is one of the main demands highlighted by Alicante healthcare workers in recent years. The reduction of the weekly working hours to 35 has been left in limbo, despite being an explicit commitment of the current Valencian government.

This is recalled by the Forum of Primary Care Doctors of the Valencian Community (FOMAP-CV), whose members express their "concern and rejection" at what they consider a "breach" by the Health Minister, Marciano Gómez.

"The promise has become a silenced issue that has disappeared from political agendas," assert the doctors, who see a "lack of direction and contradictory messages" in the Consell's health policy.

FOMAP-CV reminds that this measure is already established in most autonomous communities, where it has proven to be "viable and beneficial" for both professionals and the quality of care. Its non-implementation in the Valencian Community, they say, creates "inequality, demotivation, and talent drain, as well as an increasing workload."

They consider that Primary Care has been suffering from "great care pressure and staff shortages" for years. In this situation, they believe that reducing working hours "would improve patient safety, facilitate work-life balance, reduce the risk of burnout, and promote teaching and research, ensuring the training of new doctors." Furthermore, it "would strengthen team stability and make the profession more attractive in the Community."

The Forum also demands reinforcing medical resources, ensuring uniformity in labor rights, and establishing quality and safety indicators linked to the new working hours, with semi-annual evaluation. They also call for contingency plans to ensure care coverage and transparent communication with professionals, along with recognition of their work.