Physicians of associations such as Association of Spanish Pediatricians in Primary Care, Association of Madrid Pediatricians in Primary Care, Association of Specialist Doctors of Madrid, Association of Primary Care Physicians in Pediatrics, the Amyts (strike organizers) union or APsmueve, together with the director of the Primary Care health center, members The Primary Care Council of the Official Medical Colleges and various scientific societies associated with the sector have convened this Tuesday to take note of the three-month strike that has been under way. between a family doctor and a pediatrician from Madrid. They say live in the moment “with a mixture of tiredness and anger”, but as a collective, “very strong and very united.” This morning they met again with the Ministry of Health to find a negotiated solution to the conflict.
Their main gripe today is against the possibility that they want to implement a Primary Care model similar to the British model in Madrid, where nurses’ jobs are preeminent and where doctors are self-employed. They decried Britain as a model “with a deep crisis in its health system” and dismissed the possibility of something like this happening in the region. Nurses, they insisted, had a role of their own, not conflicting with that of the doctor.
Despite three months of strikes and twelve meetings held to date, The formula for resolving the conflict has not yet been found. The Ministry of Health has offered them improvements such as limiting the schedule to a maximum of 34 patients per family doctor per day and 24 per pediatrician per day; up to four extra hours a day for volunteers who wish to take over an agenda that exceeds this figure, being paid a maximum of 200 euros per day; linear increase of 400 euros; and other improvements.
But for those in charge of Amyts, this meant only “empty promises”, and they warned: “in the Government they believe they can solve this without money, and it is impossible”: the demand for greater investment in Primary Care continues continues. They only acknowledge progress in limiting the agenda. In January the Minister of Health, Enrique Ruiz Escudero, announced pilot plans to implement these restrictions in 22 health centres, which could then be expanded to others. But until now, Amyts confirmed that “it has only been implemented in three centers”.
The doctors asked for a solution as soon as possible, and remembered that in May the doctors from MIR and it is very important for them to stay in Madrid people from the specialty of Family Medicine. They remember that until now only 10 percent have stayed in the Community, and some others have chosen destinations in other regions or abroad, because of better working conditions.
Doctors are hurt by the attitude of counseling, which ensures that it has changed “from treating us as heroes, because we treated 85 percent of cases in a pandemic, and we even received recognition from Díaz Ayuso for the extra effort we made ” , to “become being criticized and discredited and throwing the population over us for making us go on strike in the middle of a flu epidemic.”
The testimonies given by striking doctors, workers in health centers, are very strong: «Yesterday I received 50 patients, and they all gave me their support, and asked me to continue the struggle because the solution is for everyone”, said one of them, as an example. Their intention and passion is to continue “steadfastly and with this almost magnanimous tenacity” because they believe that “without this step, Primary Care will sink without a cure.”
The Minister of Health has expressed an “absolute desire to reach an agreement” and claims to have approved most of the requests that have been made. On the other hand, a few days ago opened another negotiating channel, with Official Medical Colleges, to find solutions and indicate steps to be implemented to improve Primary Care. A way they have been discredited from the Amyts considering they were trying to “override” the work of the strike committee.
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about becoming a Pediatrician in AFEM, AMAPED, AMYTS, APsemueve,
director of Primary Care health center, member of the Care Board
Madrid Medical College Elementary School, SIME, SEMERGEN Madrid, SEMG Madrid,
SoMaMFyC, SPMYCM, Primary Care Tutor
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