Spanish health workers hold protest: report

Thousands of Spain's health workers have protested over what they say is the destruction of the public health system by the conservative regional government, Reuters reported.

The Madrid government has been the target of criticism in recent years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, over poor staffing in hospitals and primary healthcare centers, the source added.

Protesters say it is dismantling public health services and favoring private health providers, it added.

Demonstrators filled the Plaza Cibeles area in the city center, chanting and waving flags, it further noted.

Regional governments in Spain are responsible for a large part of the health budget as part of the country's devolved political system.

A regional government spokesman put the number of people who marched through the streets of central Madrid at 250,000 while organizers put it at closer to 1 million.

Thousands of health workers also demonstrated in Santiago de Compostela, in northwestern Spain on Sunday, calling for the preservation of the public health system. Police said 20,000 took to the streets.

TM/PR