Also, and in view of price developments, he says that the 2% wage increase applied in 2022 is unacceptable. Remember that the purchasing power lost since 2011 is around 6%. ELA makes sure that neither the CPI nor the budgets that do not guarantee purchasing power will be given.

Regarding the cuts in Primary Care, Saavedra recalls that this summer health centers have been closed and in other cases the working groups have not been complete, so no health care has been offered. He regrets that it has been used as an excuse for the lack of doctors and recalls that ELA has been calling for planning to deal with retirements for more than 10 years. "The Department of Health's response is to overload workers, close health centers and reduce care hours," he said.

Saavedra also stressed that there are doctors, but there are no decent working conditions. “Many professionals leave due to systematic overload and lack of stability. Instead of attracting workers, Osakidetza encourages them to leave. For example, in the current OPE there were 1,320 applicants for 336 places of family medicine. On the other hand, between 2012 and 2019, the number of doctors in Osakidetza increased by 10%, while in private health it increased by 69%.”

This reality, as Saavedra has pointed out, is not limited to primary care. It refers to specialized care with systematic work overload and reductions. He mentioned, among other issues, the closure of the heart surgery service of Basurto or the emergencies of the Hospital Santiago de Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Finally, Saavedra stresses that Osakidetza’s staff still have cuts. Professional development is a clear example of this. Osakidetza, despite being included in several decrees, has not made calls for the last ten years. The last one was in 2011, and it was resolved and paid because ALS won a sentence. Faced with this situation, Osakidetza has now launched an extraordinary call, but instead of paying the 10 years of delay, it will only pay the 3 years. “Therefore, the cut is maintained,” says ELA.