Cantabria health officials warn of indefinite medical strike

Health authorities in Cantabria are preparing for a national indefinite medical strike scheduled to begin on October 28. The protest is directed against the proposed Estatuto Marco law. César Pascual, the regional Health Minister, warned that the strike could have ‘disastrous’ consequences, noting that an indefinite strike is significantly harder to manage than previous weekly protests because it offers no window for service readjustment.

The region is already struggling to recover from previous labor actions that resulted in 169,000 lost medical appointments, including consultations, tests, and surgeries. This existing backlog, combined with the upcoming strike and seasonal respiratory infections, poses a significant challenge to the healthcare system.

Separately, the Union of Professionals and Self-Employed Workers (UPTA) has released projections regarding the growth of foreign entrepreneurs in Spain. Based on current trends, UPTA estimates that the number of foreign self-employed workers could exceed 750,000 by 2031, representing an addition of approximately 216,000 new registrations over the next five years.