Spain's exhausted doctors demand post-virus job security

TheLocal.es ^ | 17 July 2020 08:56 CEST+02:00 | AFP

[Olog-hai]

Spain hailed its doctors as heroes during the coronavirus crisis, but as infections fall many frontline staff have been left depressed and traumatized by their experience, fearful of an insecure future.

With 36.3 percent of public healthcare workers without a permanent contract, according to one survey, demonstrations calling for change are growing.

“We have to end this low-budget health system,” says Patricia Calvo, a 40-year-old doctor, who made her own protective gear out of bin bags at the height of the pandemic.

“I finished specializing in 2010, but I’m still on a temporary contract,” says the doctor from the southern city of Granada where she works with 14 other medics, most of whom are in the same situation. […]

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has pledged to invest €9 billion into Spain’s decentralized public health system.

“We cannot come out of this crisis with a public health system that is weaker than what we already had, which was a result of the austerity policies” put in place by regional governments following the 2008 crisis, he said. …

[Oshkalaboomboom]

Nobody has job security in Spain anymore except politicians, and even their time is running out. The country was broke before the pandemic started and they have put in quarantine measures guaranteed to make them a lot more broke before it ends. They used to be able to rely on the EU to bail them out but the EU isn’t in much better shape than Spain right now.

[SauronOfMordor]

Trump could probably import some Spanish doctors to work in some areas of the US.

[Oshkalaboomboom]

Trump could probably import some Spanish doctors to work in some areas of the US.

During the last great Spanish recession an entire generation of young people left for other parts of the world to find work. When the economy started getting better they didn't come back. Spain can't really afford to lose another generation. As it is the only reason their population is keeping pace is through immigration.