UEMA has analyzed the Osakidetza and Osasunbidea templates to learn about the linguistic training of professionals and the linguistic profiles they have in their jobs and whether or not they have this profile accredited. But it can happen (and you will see that it happens in the table attached), that the linguistic profile is not able to speak in Basque, and there are also examples the other way round, there are doctors who have no profile but who are able to speak in Basque. To learn more about these situations, they have talked with Basque technicians from the municipalities, politicians, health personnel and the general public.

UEMA, which already conducted the study in 2013, has had the opportunity to contrast the results of this study. Eneka Maiz, Mayor of Etxarri-Aranatz and member of the UEMA Board of Directors, has assessed the evolution as follows: “Although the situation has improved in some health centres since then, in others it has worsened or remained.” Particularly serious are the cases in which not all professionals (usually a single professional, or a doctor or a pediatrician) are able to speak in Basque.

On holidays what?

The green and red colors shown in the table on the right page indicate whether or not the professionals have linguistic ability, and you can tell if the doctor or pediatrician is able to speak in Basque, regardless of the request, by reading adjacent notes. However, that does not mean, let's say in Etxalar, that they have an Euskaldun pediatrician all year round. What happens when you have to do the replacement, for example when the doctor leaves on vacation? On more than one occasion, it was the alternates who did not know Euskera. Last summer Azpeitia, Segura and Aulesti denounced this situation and dozens of municipalities were on the same stage.

Another concern is retirement. On the one hand, the next doctor is the possibility of being Basque and, on the other, he risks getting worse; the one who goes is Basque and the one who comes does not know. For this reason, UEMA makes a concrete request to Osakidetza and Osasunbidea, “that in all new contracts held in the municipalities of Euskaldunes, at least, professionals from Euskaldunes are hired”.

In Navarre linguistic profiles are scarce

The Government of Navarre places Basque doctors on a county basis. However, citizens are not happy because this does not guarantee that they receive care in Euskera. The Government has put out 100 jobs for public tender, of which twelve have a linguistic profile.

The results of the UEMA study are shown in the table. You will not find data from all the municipalities of the community, but health centers with problems to offer the service in Basque.