Spanish healthcare professionals face bureaucracy and salary debates

Medical professionals in Spain are facing significant challenges regarding workload and compensation. In the Canary Islands, family doctors report that excessive bureaucracy is reducing the time available for complex and chronic patients. Ayose Pérez Miranda, a family physician and coordinator for the semFYC congress, noted that doctors are often forced to handle administrative tasks, such as managing sick leave or ambulance requests, which could be handled by other staff. This saturation of primary care often leads patients to seek care in hospital emergency departments instead.

Separately, debates regarding public healthcare salaries continue. Catalan businessman José Elías has questioned the current remuneration structure, arguing that the pay gap between certain service workers and medical professionals does not reflect the intensity of the work. Elías specifically criticized the long working hours and extended shifts required of doctors, comparing the lack of hour limits for surgeons to the strict regulations applied to truck drivers.