Mérida, Apr 22 (EFE).- Hundreds of people, 300 according to the Government Delegation and more than 2,000 according to the organizers, demonstrated this Saturday in Mérida for universal, quality public health and to demand a system It is worth serving users with adequate response times.
The march, which began at the gates of the headquarters of the Extremadura Health Service (SES), in Mérida, has been called by the “Extremadura for Public Health” Movement, a platform that includes 23 groups, in the face of the progressive impaired attention.
After making a stop in front of the city hospital, where a manifesto was read, the demonstration ended in front of the official residence of the president of the Junta de Extremadura.
SLOGANS
The protest has begun to the rhythm of batucada and whistles and the cry of “public health” by the protesters, who have also directed their proclamations towards the Minister of Health: “Vergeles, listen, the people are in the fight
On the banners you could read slogans such as “Privatizing is abandoning”, “Empty Spain is fed up with being silent”, “Suicides do not appear on the news every day”, “Health care is not a business”, “No to cuts ” or “Bellotari: from a room per patient to expel us from the public health system”.
They also highlighted those who demanded a hospital for the Sierra de San Pedro area. “We are 1h,27m from our hospital”, said one of them.
THE REASONS
The spokesperson for the convening movement, Concha Ortiz, has told EFE that the political class must understand that citizens want to have “a decent health system and that they attend to us in adequate response times”, which in her opinion is not a ” utopia”, since it was a reality.
Ortiz has indicated that they propose that investment in primary care be increased, that hospital beds and staff ratios be increased, as well as improvements in mental health and dependency care, to be at the same level as in Europe.
He has denounced that there is a great lack of health professionals, but he has stressed that “it is not true that there are no doctors”, since there are more registered physicians in Spain than ever, and he has pointed out that they may be being treated better and practice medicine quality elsewhere.
Ortiz has indicated that this demonstration is a starting point and possibly the mobilizations will continue with periodic concentrations in each health center and in each doctor’s office until they are heard and until the government puts the health of citizens and their right to health care. “ahead of the interests and profits of pharmaceutical companies and health multinationals”.
The United for Extremadura candidate for the presidency of the Board, Irene de Miguel, and the candidate for mayor of Mérida for the PP, Santi Amaro, participated in the march.