The doctors' strike will be the subject of debate this Friday between the autonomous communities and the Ministry of Health, which meet in the Interterritorial Health Council, just after dialogue has resumed between the unions and the department headed by Mónica García.
Last Monday, the Community of Madrid and Euskadi announced that they had requested Health to include in the extensive agenda of the Council the analysis of the conflict, which has resulted in a one-week-a-month strike until June to demand their own statute that regulates the particularities of their professional performance, independent from that of the rest of the healthcare personnel.
The Council meets after the six convening unions announced that negotiations are resumed in an atmosphere of dialogue, after a meeting with Health this Thursday, which will be followed by more meetings.
The department led by Mónica García insists that its proposal for a framework statute reform is a step forward and that the concerns of professionals transcend its competencies, as they must be addressed in other legislations and in the autonomous communities, which have been demanding for several weeks from Health to put an end to the conflict, because it is already affecting the system.
In this regard, the Madrid Minister of Health, Fátima Matute, has estimated the economic impact of the strike at 10 million euros, with the cancellation of approximately 135,000 consultations, 6,500 surgeries and 13,600 diagnostic tests.
The Community of Madrid has expressed itself in favor of doctors having their own framework statute.
The Basque Health Minister, Alberto Martínez, regretted on Monday that the strike "shows signs of continuing" and considered it "frankly incomprehensible" that the Ministry of Health has rejected the proposal from the Canary Islands and Castilla-La Mancha to resort to an "independent mediation" through the Platform of Patient Organizations (POP).
Healthcare, however, defends that the mediation channel is already open through the Medical Profession Forum (with which a three-way meeting is scheduled for Monday), after reaching an agreement to channel the demands of the doctors through other measures.
The doctors' strike has already reached the Congress and the Senate, with the debate of several initiatives and questions in the Government Control session.
Other matters of the Interterritorial Council
The work plan of the Interterritorial Council is very extensive, and includes among other points the document for the approach to chronic kidney disease in the National Health System, with the aim that two simple and low-cost tests be performed to improve the early detection of this pathology in patients with risk factors.
So announced the minister, Mónica García, during the event for e World Kidney Day last March 12.
At the meeting, information will also be provided on regulatory projects in process: the law on public management and integrity of the National Health System, that of Patient Organizations, or the royal decree by which the General Statutes of the Collegiate Medical Organization and Statutes of the General Council of Official Medical Associations of Spain are approved.
