Unamuno said that the world is like Bilbao, the bilbaíno that Dr. Azkuna so appreciated, who was Health Advisor and Mayor of Bilbao, Iñaki Azkuna. Just like Bilbao, but bigger. I do not know if Bilbao is not like the world, which in its small is very different because of its words and customs. On the street you can hear Spanish, Basque, English, French and several languages, although there are two official languages, one more official than the other.

A lot of news both in the world and in Bilbao and, among them, by surprise, an unusual good news: A new medical school will be built in Basurto. It was time! In diversity, there are many opinions and mine: it is time to think of a new medical school that gives an adequate response to our field (be it Bilbao or the Basque Country).

Following Salaburu, the objective of the university is to generate knowledge through research and debate, that is, creation. It is not just any man, but a man who fulfils the strict conditions of science and everything else. At the same time, it is the deposit of that knowledge that will allow us to expand what we have more to be when we are, for the well-being of people. Finally, the production of the qualified professionals that society needs. And Euskal Herria needs multilingual health workers today.

Some want to study the degree of medicine in Euskera; for others it is an imposition of Euskera. They will be the ones who claim an Euskal Herria euskaldun or the Castilian speaking and monolingual students who have come from Spain. Learning medicine in Basque or Spanish can be a right, but the patient must always be given priority. Today, to act in a bilingual area, both languages are essential. So students can't finish the degree as monolinguals. The university has to compensate for what has been assumed: in a bilingual area like ours, it has to produce professionals capable of working in the two official languages. People who work in Basque and Spanish to attend to the highest level of patients; they will also develop in English, since the lingua franca is English and, therefore, essential to acquire and share knowledge and skills. Therefore, we do not need two degrees in medical school, nor two branches, one in Spanish and the other in Basque. This model is too expensive and, above all, ineffective. We need a single degree or branch, multilingual: Basque, Spanish and English. For all students, also for monolingual Castilian speakers. Because learning is not just a right, it's a duty.

I started with Unamuno, which I ended up with. There will be those who, in memory of Unamuno, say that the university is their temple. Those who have been on the ground, without dedicating themselves to medicine throughout their professional career. The focus is on the patient. Arrogant, unconsciously, who says that health care should be provided in his language and not in that of the patient. A blind man who believes that the university can produce monolingual doctors in bilingual areas. Medicine is my field, my profession, as a doctor. And I know a little bit about the importance of language in sanitation, a little bit more than most. Therefore, I am not ashamed to say clearly that a multilingual medical school is needed. Let us not waste time. I said that.