The Health Councillor of the Canary Islands, Esther Monzón, has acted as the spokesperson for all autonomous communities in the Interterritorial Council to demand that the Ministry restart dialogue on the Draft Framework Statute, in an attempt to unblock the doctors' strike that has lasted for months.
The Health Councillor of the Canary Islands Government, Esther Monzón, has acted this Wednesday as the spokesperson for the seventeen autonomous communities in the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System (SNS) to convey to the Ministry of Health a unanimous demand: to restart negotiations from scratch on the Draft Framework Statute for healthcare personnel. The meeting, held virtually, was the setting in which Monzón read a joint agreement urging the minister to open a new dialogue process with the trade unions, aiming to call off the doctors' strike that has been affecting healthcare activities across the country for over a month.
The position of the autonomous communities is firm: they believe that the current reform project of the Framework Statute, a state regulation governing the working conditions of health service personnel, has generated a conflict that can only be resolved through consensus. In the document read by Monzón, a methodology is requested that guarantees the effective participation of all parties, including medical unions, to build a “balanced and sustainable” text for the entire SNS.
This is the third time in less than two months that the autonomous communities have spoken out jointly on this matter. On March 20, Monzón, along with her counterparts from the Basque Country and Castilla-La Mancha, sent a letter to the Minister of Health proposing the appointment of an independent mediation figure to facilitate dialogue. Now, the tone is even more urgent: the prolongation of the labour conflict is having a direct impact on healthcare activities and compromises the capacity of health services to provide adequate care to citizens, as stated in the agreement.
“We believe that a Framework Statute, due to its significance for the present and future of our healthcare system, can only move forward with maximum institutional and professional consensus,” the text states. The autonomous communities remind that the modification of this regulation is the exclusive competence of the Ministry of Health, but they insist that its approval requires the involvement of those who manage health services and those who work in them daily.
For the Canary Islands, Monzón's position has both symbolic and practical value. The islands have been struggling with a deficit of healthcare professionals for years, and the doctors' strike exacerbates the situation in already strained services. The Canary Councillor has been one of the most critical voices regarding the Ministry's management in this conflict, and her role as spokesperson for all communities strengthens the pressure on the minister to step back and reopen negotiations.
The Interterritorial Council has thus served to showcase the unity of the regions against the Ministry, at a time when the doctors' strike has spread to several communities and has caused cancellations of consultations and operations. The autonomous communities warn that the lack of agreement negatively affects the quality of care and patient safety, an argument aimed at mobilising public opinion and forcing the Government to change its strategy.
So far, the Ministry has not officially responded to the request, but the pressure from the seventeen communities, led by the Canary Islands, leaves little room for inaction. The ball is now in the minister's court, who must decide whether to accept restarting the process or to maintain her position, risking further entrenchment of the conflict.
You may also like
