Santa Cruz de Tenerife 10 Feb. (Europa Press) –
Canary doctors gathered on Monday at the entrances of the main hospitals across the archipelago to express their discontent regarding the proposed framework by the Ministry of Health. They are calling, among other demands, for specific regulations for their profession, the abolishment of the 48-hour weekly limit, and for on-call hours to be counted as overtime and for pension purposes.
Representatives from the Canary Islands Medical Employee Union (Semca) have described the events taking place throughout the archipelago and the rest of the country on this Monday as a precursor to another demonstration set for Thursday outside the Ministry of Health in Madrid.
Various representatives from the Trade Union Organisation have emphasised that there are still significant unresolved historical issues affecting doctors and that, due to the unique nature of their roles, they require dedicated regulatory measures distinct from those applicable to other health professions.
Furthermore, the Canary Islands Medical Employee Union has highlighted that doctors have been placed in the same professional category as nurses, midwives, and physiotherapists, despite the medical community’s insistence on needing a higher classification reflecting both their level of education and the substantial responsibilities associated with their duties.
They also point out that there remains an insufficient resolution regarding on-call duties and breaks, meaning that on-call hours continue without recognition as extra time, which results in these hours not being counted, among other implications, as effective working hours for retirement purposes.
“These and numerous other reasons clearly indicate that the time has arrived for the society benefiting from the medical profession to determine whether this group should be regarded as just another worker or as a highly qualified professional with distinct significant aspects in the execution of their activities,” the union stated in a release.
Moreover, if the current conditions persist, the warning is that Spanish and Canary society “will witness an inevitable trend where specialist doctors will increasingly seek improved career prospects beyond the national health system, whether in the private sector, academia, the biotechnology industry, or, as is already ongoing, emigration to other countries that offer compensation and professional acknowledgment commensurate with their skills, training, and accountability in their roles.”
