Health will pay extra for doctors who take more patients for vacation

On Tuesday, the Minister of Health, Juan Jose Pedriño, held a series of meetings with different groups (user associations, medical unions, family doctors and health center coordinators) in order to listen to their proposals and propose measures to improve primary care.

After these meetings, the Ministry of Health distributed a press release stating that the remuneration of primary care doctors in the district for the vacation period assuming quotas would be around €100 per day, if it was the same working day, and around €230. If patients assume at different times. In addition, the ministry states that at the moment, there are 27 professionals in the Covid clusters that have been set up to boost primary care in the summer, a number that will increase depending on the increased pressure of care.

Similarly, to facilitate the task of primary school professionals, the electronic prescription for chronic patients and visa has been extended until September 30. In addition, procedures are being developed to reduce bureaucracy in primary care, so that each health district has established a direct contact department by phone and email that “allows the resolution of bureaucratic incidents, in order to avoid patient travel,” the ministry explained. Contracts have also been offered to general practitioners for this type of task to reduce bureaucracy in primary care, which are always supervised by dedicated professionals.

shortage of doctors

On the other hand, Counselor Juan Jose Pedriño told the coordinators that the territorial government assured the Ministry of Health of the need to develop an urgent action plan at the state level to solve the general problem of the shortage of doctors in Spain and a specific plan to strengthen primary care.

The Ministry of Health has expressed its support for the statement on urgent state actions in the field of primary care sent by other communities to the Ministry of Health, “since the shortage of specialists in family and community medicine. Pedriño explained that the entire national health system has led to a critical situation at the national level.

Similarly, the ministry is progressing to present the new Primary Care Strategy 2023-2027 at the end of this year. This will include various axes, such as the increase in the number of health professionals (more than 200 doctors and nurses), as well as the final budget for primary care in regional budgets for 2023, as well as the adaptation of the process and structure of primary care teams.

According to the memorandum of the Ministry of Health, the primary care staff, including the 061 department, today amounts to 6,021 professionals, an increase of 1,028 from the beginning of the health crisis, which represents an increase of 20.6%. Specifically, according to health data, there are an additional 165 doctors – 8% more – and 496 nurses – 32% -. Likewise, there are an additional 531 professionals from other categories such as social work, midwives, and administrative assistants, among others.

SMS changes

On the other hand, the management structure of the Murcian Health Service (SMS) has recently undergone a reorganization. Specifically, primary care, hospital care, mental health, emergencies, and out-of-hospital 061 emergencies, which will have specific general sub-departments, are being promoted.