The ‘overload’ of health centers in Galicia reaches the courts

In the lawsuit, Omega warns of “the harms arising, both for medical personnel, where the increased workload indicates that work disabilities are compounded and the risk of misdiagnosis being issued, as well as to public health users, who do not receive quality assistance according to standards designed by The government of Galicia itself.” The union deplores Sergas’ “violation of the basic rights of doctors and patients” because “the current state of Galician health violates Article 43 of the Constitution, which recognizes the right to health, and also violates Article 15 of the Magna Carta, which protects the physical and mental integrity of Spaniards”.

“The current employment status of the medical staff attached to primary care in Galicia – referring to O’Mega in his lawsuit – can be defined as an unsustainable workload that results in two primary adverse outcomes.” “The first is the dangerous effect of a large part of the medical personnel who are forced to work in this state of excessive workload which leads to a systematic series of measures of temporary incapacity to work in operations of a notable psychological but also physical nature,” the medical union notes. To this, O’Mega adds the consequences for the patient “because excessive and burdened patient schedules prevent adequate medical care in the absence of a minimum effective time to be able, in most cases, to carry out the study, diagnosis and corresponding medical treatment.” The union states in its lawsuit that scheduled agendas also include home visits, clinical meetings, research work and emergencies.

Likewise, the union condemns “violations in connection with occupational safety”, which it attributes to Sergas in a complaint to the Labor Inspectorate about the situation in the Pontevedra and O Salnes Health District, and demands that TSXG make public evidence that Sergas is “violating” the rights of primary care doctors and pediatricians in terms of physical integrity and health.

Sergas, in a response sent to Efe, claims “the current shortage of doctors in the National Health System (SNS) as a whole” and “the impossibility of replacement due to sick leave or vacation”, a condition she is treating. With the recently approved Primary Care Rewards and Improvement Package. This means that doctors will charge more if they have an increased workload, the amount of hard-to-fill jobs will increase, and the overtime pays out higher.

Xunta is again calling for an extraordinary call for a thousand medical trainee resident (MIR) positions for the entire state, considering that this would improve current coverage, for which it has created 207 family medicine training positions, a number it says this is historical maximum.

Signatures to ‘save’ primary care

The SOS Sanidade Pública de Galicia platform has initiated a set of signatures to submit a People’s Legislative Initiative (ILP) to Parliament to “save” primary care, which is “in a state of urgency, as a result of staff and budget cuts by the Consellería de Sanidade”. This was introduced by one of its spokespersons, Manuel Martin, at the first signing table, located in Santiago, where he specified that the operation would last four months and would take place throughout Galicia, as well as in various health centers in the community. Martin warned that the primary care crisis would lead to restricted access and an increase in waiting lists, and denounced that “the private sector would be most favourable”, which would “be able to dispose of public funds”. “Outpatient clinics will provide care in inappropriate conditions,” SOS platform spokesperson Sanidade Pública warned, explaining that “in most health centers, promotion, prevention, rehabilitation and community work have all but disappeared.”

Resources and attendance

Regarding the purpose of this initiative, Manuel Martin indicated that they intend to work to “increase the number and size of staff, prioritize face-to-face care, reopen closed centers and Points of Continuing Care (PAC), give participation to residents and staff in the planning and management of centers, and end the lack of Job security for employees.