Spanish doctors begin fifth strike week as 16 regions demand minister open talks

A united front

Doctors from across Spain gathered in Madrid on Monday morning for a rally opening a five-day strike against the health reforms. The strike is the fifth national walkout this year, called by six unions, including the Confederación Española de Sindicatos Médicos (CESM) and the Sindicato Médico Andaluz. The demonstration marks a deepening conflict that has seen more than 177,000 doctors called to support the strikes since February. The unions demand the withdrawal of the draft Estatuto Marco, a framework statute they say harms their working conditions.

The minister is not capable of performing her role at the head of the Ministry of Health.

The unions also accuse Minister García of lying and blocking negotiations. The Organización Médica Colegial, the professional body for doctors, said the Ministry had broken dialogue channels.

Political isolation

Last Wednesday, 16 of Spain's 17 autonomous communities signed a joint document blaming the central government for the conflict and demanding the reopening of negotiations on the Estatuto Marco. Even the three regions governed by the Socialist Party (Asturias, Navarre, and Castilla-La Mancha) distanced themselves from the minister.

The minister has been left alone.

The communities say they are shouldering the care consequences of a crisis not of their making.

The regions are playing the dog in the manger, neither solving nor letting solve.

The strike has so far led to nearly three million cancelled medical appointments and procedures.

Escalating pressure

Beyond the strike, doctors in eight regions (Catalonia, Madrid, La Rioja, Valencian Community, Navarre, Basque Country, Murcia, and Galicia) have stopped taking on extra afternoon shifts, adding strain to hospitals. In some facilities, authorities have proposed increasing activity to compensate.

They are having an effect. Morale remains quite good; we continue making mobilization proposals.

The strike committee, which suspended street actions for the summer due to staffing shortages, warns protests will resume in September if the government does not change course.

The demands

Doctors want a separate statute for physicians distinct from the general framework, a specific negotiating table, a professional classification recognizing their training, a maximum 35-hour week, voluntary and paid overtime, and improved on-call conditions, including counting on-call hours towards early retirement with reduction coefficients.

We are not going to continue sustaining this system on our sacrifice, not our effort.

The draft law is in public consultation until 26 June, after which it heads to parliament. Unions have called on the government to appoint new interlocutors.

A year of strikes

The first national strike took place on 13 June 2025. Since February 2026, monthly strike weeks have been held, with this week marking the fifth concentrated action. The number of cancelled procedures has reached three million. With no agreement in sight and the summer break approaching, the conflict shows no signs of resolution.