Madrid – (Reuters)
Hundreds of thousands of Spanish health workers staged a protest in Madrid on Sunday against what they say is the destruction of the public health system caused by the conservative government’s measures in the capital.
The Madrid government has been the target of criticism in the past years, especially since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, due to the poor staffing of hospitals and primary health care centers.
Protesters say the government is dismantling public health services and favoring private health providers.
Protesters filled Plaza Cibeles in the city center, chanting and waving flags.
In Spain, regional governments are responsible for a large part of the health budget, as it is among the things that the central government is mandated to manage.
A spokesman for the regional government estimated that the number of those who participated in the march in the streets of central Madrid was 250,000, while the organizers estimated the number at about one million.
Ayusu denies accusations that her government is dismantling public health services in favor of the private sector.
And she wrote on Twitter, Saturday: “We all believe in public health.”
Thousands of health workers also demonstrated in Santiago de Compostela, in northwest Spain, on Sunday, calling for the preservation of the public health system.
Police said 20,000 people took to the streets.
In November, tens of thousands of people marched through the streets of Madrid in support of health workers and to demand better working conditions.
