The first day of the national medical strike promoted by the State Confederation of Medical Unions left in Ibiza and Formentera a follow-up of 80-85% in hospitals and 45-50% in health centers, according to data from the Medical Union of the Balearic Islands (Simebal). The strike, which will last for four consecutive days, took place in a context of minimum services that the union again described as “abusive”, as they were set “above a holiday”, which -they claim- limited an even greater support for the strike.
In the case of hospitals, the spokesman for Simebal in the Pitiusas, Carlos Rodríguez, explained that the participation of staff who were not subject to minimum services reached up to 85% at the Can Misses Hospital, where doctors joined the strike in protest against the proposed new Framework Statute drawn up by the Ministry of Health. To contextualize the day, La Voz de Ibiza already reported the general impact of the strike in the Balearic Islands, with dozens of operations and thousands of appointments cancelled on its first day.
In primary care, the follow-up was lower due to the high pressure associated with cases of influenza, according to Rodriguez in statements to Radio Ibiza. Despite this, the union remarked that in the health centers of Ibiza and Formentera a significant support was reached, between 45 and 50%, which they consider “an indicator of the accumulated discomfort in the collective”. The pressure due to busy schedules and the extensive minimum services would be behind this difference with respect to the hospital environment, they stressed.
High participation of resident interns
Another element highlighted by Simebal was the participation of medical interns (MIR), whose involvement was described as “especially significant”. For the union, their presence demonstrates that the demands regarding working conditions, professional careers and stability affect the entire healthcare system and not only physicians with a consolidated position. This generational involvement is one of the factors that, according to the union, supports the idea of a “long-running conflict” if the Health Department does not modify its proposal.
Throughout the day, Simebal reiterated its willingness to dialogue, although conditioned to the Ministry showing “a real intention to urgently address the structural problems affecting the medical profession and the quality of care”. The organization said that it will continue to update the monitoring data on the islands and will inform Madrid of the specific situation of the Pitiusas.
