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Spain’s Doctors Launch Nationwide Strike Starting Monday

Physicians protest the Health Ministry’s draft labor statute to secure a binding medical framework with curbs on 24-hour on-call shifts.

Overview

  • The action follows a fixed calendar of one week per month through June, with walkouts set for Feb. 16–20, Mar. 16–20, Apr. 27–30, May 18–22 and Jun. 15–19.
  • Regional minimum-service orders will maintain urgent and non-deferrable care, including oncology, dialysis and transplants, while routine appointments and procedures are expected to be postponed.
  • In Catalonia, Metges de Catalunya is mounting its own stoppages on Feb. 16 and 20 and says the regional health department has refused to enter talks.
  • The Health Ministry has sealed agreements on the Estatuto Marco with CSIF, UGT, CC OO and Satse, which medical unions argue leave physicians’ core demands unaddressed.
  • Recent benchmarks point to heavy disruption: Cantabria logged 459 surgeries, 3,644 tests and 32,962 consultations canceled over four days in December, and Asturias’ SIMPA estimates about 800 surgeries and 8,000 consultations deferred per strike week.