In the demonstration, the protesters have mainly highlighted one idea: “We need a living oncology to stay alive.” In this way, they have launched the songs “Onkologikoa bizirik”, “Sagardui, gezurrak ez” and “Kutxa, entzun, gaude en lucha” throughout the demonstration. It should also be noted that a txaranga has set out to mobilise from start to finish.
Upon arriving at Plaza Zuloaga, two users of Onkologikoa have spoken, who have denounced that since the Kutxa Foundation and the Basque Government signed the agreement for the integration of Oncology in Osakidetza (four years ago), the center is being “underutilized”: “There is hardly any surgical activity and only 10-15% of the beds are used. This under-utilization of resources is a disgrace in a state of health that accumulates unacceptable waiting lists; we demand the optimization of existing resources.”
They have also recalled that Oncology has had a monographic character since its foundation, since 1933: “It has treated oncological pathologies holistically and the diagnosis has come to the therapeutic proposal if necessary, including surgery.” However, this is not the case at present, as the user Olatz Mercader explained last week before the press: “My mother died in 2012 from cancer. When he was receiving treatment, one day of his life could be: At 07:30 he came to Onkologikoa, to get blood right here and go to the appointment, he had the results of the tests. Thus, in 45 minutes he was prepared and started receiving chemotherapy treatment. Now we must draw blood in our country's outpatient clinic, so this affects cancer patients, rumours when they see you without hair, etc. Then we come to Onkologikoa and we have to wait about two hours to get into the consultation. And then we can wait another three hours to receive chemotherapy at Donostia Hospital. The waiting time for five hours is excessive for an oncological patient and their companion”.
For this reason, they have asked the institutions to “once and for all define the future of Oncology, respecting the monographic character it has always had”. They also request that the center be "fully" integrated into the Basque Public Health, taking into account users and integrating workers into the public system.
At the end of the reading, four dantzaris dance for protesters and sing together Txoria txori de Mikel Laboa. Below you can see the video of the demonstration, with the words of Jon Galfarsoro, Onkologikoa worker, and Sandra Barkaiztegi, user of Onkologikoa, to this medium:
Photographer Joseba Parron San Sebastian created a collection of images during the demonstration: