«Il n‘y a pas un monde développé et un monde sous-développé, mais un seul monde mal développé»
PRESS RELEASE
Madrid, Geneva, 04.09.2024 – The Carabanchel People’s Assembly, together with CETIM, submitted a report to the UN human rights protection mechanisms to denounce the violations of the right to health due to the neglect and lack of professionals at the Abrantes Health Center and the resulting delays in healthcare services, as well as the responsibility of the Madrid regional government in this matter.
Located in Madrid’s Carabanchel district, the Abrantes Health Center is the primary care center serving more than 30.000 people. The chronic shortage of medical staff and pediatricians results in delays of up to 2 months to see a general practitioner, and there have been cases where patients were denied access to healthcare services. For four years, the Carabanchel People’s Assembly, an organization born out of the 15M movement and the 2011 Puerta del Sol occupation, has been denouncing this situation. They have collected signatures demanding an effective increase in the medical staff, submitted over 4,000 complaints to the regional government responsible for the human resources of the Madrid Health Service, contacted the Spanish Ombudsman, organized sit-ins at the health center itself and at the Ministry of Health’s facilities, and filed complaints in court. They have also held more than 140 demonstrations over the course of four years. Despite all this, the Madrid Community’s Ministry of Health has not provided lasting and effective responses to the affected population’s demands.
On July 26, a delegation of four representatives from the Carabanchel People’s Assembly departed from Madrid to travel over 1.600 km by bicycle to Geneva to present their claims and demands to UN agencies and the Permanent Missions of member states. On August 15, they were received by various UN agencies, where they explained the problems of the Madrid healthcare system and the reasons for their journey.
The shortage of medical personnel is an endemic problem in the Madrid Health Service. The Abrantes Health Center is one of many health centers with less than half of the legally required number of doctors (the law states that to provide adequate healthcare, the center must have at least 17 general practitioners and 4 pediatricians). This chronic shortage of doctors is one of the main reasons why, according to figures from the Ministry of Health itself, more than 1 million people are on the waiting list for healthcare in the Madrid region.
The Carabanchel People’s Assembly, with the support of CETIM, will continue to demand the hiring of healthcare personnel and the fulfillment of the Madrid Community’s international and national legal obligations concerning human rights, to ensure that health centers guarantee the right to health and access to healthcare for the entire population.
Contact : Raffaele Morgantini, Representative of CETIM to the UN, raffaele@cetim.ch, +41796606514
