Hundreds of thousands march in Spain to protest cuts in public healthcare spending
On the 12th local time, groups such as the Medical Staff Union of the Madrid Region of Spain held large-scale demonstrations in the center of the capital Madrid. According to statistics from the Madrid municipality, about 250,000 people participated in the demonstration; the organizers of the event said that the number of demonstrators was close to 1 million.
Headquarters reporter Liao Junhua: This is one of the most iconic places in Madrid, Plaza de Cibeles, and also the seat of Madrid City Hall. It can be seen that tens of thousands of demonstrators filled the wide streets, shouting slogans, expressing their dissatisfaction with the local government’s cuts in public medical expenditures, and at the same time demanding the improvement of medical conditions.
Anna, a citizen of Madrid: The situation of the public health system is deteriorating, the number of doctors is decreasing, the conditions for seeing a doctor are getting worse, and many medical centers have been closed down.
The preliminary statistics released by the Spanish National Bureau of Statistics on January 30 show that the country’s inflation rate in January 2023 will be 5.8%; at the same time, the average salary growth rate of the country’s public sector workers is only about 2.5%. The Madrid Regional Medical Staff Union pointed out in a previous public statement that the public medical center in the region has always been in chaos, and the regional government has never taken effective measures against this situation. In addition, the delayed implementation of the local public health system budget and the further privatization of medical services have also caused public concern about the public health system.
