Overview
- Two unions, Intersindical and CGT, have taken Hospital del Mar’s emergency overcrowding to court, accusing the Consorci Mar Parc de Salut and the Catalan Health Department of collective abandonment in a public service.
- The complaint cites December surges including 170 patients in the ER on Dec. 9, 64 waits beyond 24 hours, a maximum wait of 159 hours, and at least three reported deaths after prolonged stays.
- Hospital del Mar says no official complaint has been received, defends staff professionalism, asserts all ER patients are under clinical follow-up, and reports 52 temporary beds added plus winter-plan measures and expanded home hospitalization.
- In Toledo, roughly 100 ER workers protested, alleging patients are being placed in relatives’ chairs, tucked into hidden spaces, and given IVs fixed to walls due to shortages, while calling for reopened reserve units and more staff.
- Catalan health chief Olga Pané says her department has no notification of the complaint, rejects claims of collapsed services, and contends unions are seeking notoriety.