Key facts
- Spain's Ministry of Health is reforming the medical Framework Statute for resident doctors.
- Proposed changes include reducing 24-hour on-call shifts to a maximum of 17 hours, with a limit of four per month.
- The reform aims to establish a 35-hour work week and increase pay supplements for residents.
- A provision allows for exceeding maximum working hours if organizational or care needs justify it, with compensation.
- Medical professionals are advocating for additional measures not included in the current proposal.
Spain's Ministry of Health has introduced an additional component to its reform of the medical Framework Statute, focusing on the working conditions of medical residents (MIR trainees). The proposed changes, which have faced sector-wide criticism and triggered strikes, aim to significantly alter the daily lives of doctors in training.
Minister Mónica García announced that the ministry intends to reduce the maximum 24-hour on-call shifts to 17 hours, limiting them to four per month, totaling no more than 68 hours. Crucially, residents would not work a standard day after an on-call shift. The proposal also includes a standard 35-hour work week and improvements to pay supplements, which would increase with years of experience. Additionally, the ministry aims to provide advance notice of rotations two months ahead, though medical sources question the feasibility of this in certain departments.
Concerns remain regarding potential loopholes, particularly the provision for at least 12 continuous hours between shifts, which can be waived if "service requires it," with compensation due within 14 days. Professionals worry that "organizational or care-related reasons" could be used to justify exceeding working day limits, as is currently permitted under the Framework Statute. This exploitation of residents is a key issue in large hospitals.
Professionals are calling for further measures not included in the reform, such as on-call shifts counting towards Social Security contributions, additional allowances for night work or consecutive shifts, and the creation of a specific professional category for doctors. They also advocate for any extra work to be voluntary and paid, the introduction of voluntary early retirement, and a ban on forced relocation.
The MIR Spain Association (AME) acknowledged the proposed improvements in on-call shifts, rest periods, and pay as a step forward but deemed them insufficient to resolve the precarious situation of resident doctors.