Madrid (AFP)
Several thousand caregivers affected by the pandemic marched in Madrid on Sunday in support of the Spanish public health system.
Wielding placards calling for "100% public health", the demonstrators marched to the rhythm of drums in the streets of the Spanish capital at the call of the "White Tide" (Marea Blanca) platform bringing together several professional organizations.
They were nearly 10,000 according to the organizers, and more than 2,000 according to the prefecture of Madrid.
The demonstrators notably defended the preservation of the public health system managed by the region of Madrid, criticized for its lack of investment, in one of the epicenters of the epidemic in Spain.
Nurse, Lara García came to protest against the number of "part-time staff, lower wages than in other regions (not to mention) in other countries".
The protest comes two days before the inauguration on Tuesday of the Madrid pandemic hospital, built in a few months by the region to relieve congestion in the capital's hospitals.
But many caregivers fear that this new establishment, which can accommodate up to a thousand patients, will capture resources allocated to other hospitals, in particular health personnel.
"The new hospital is an absolute swindle for Madrid and the people of Madrid. It is absolutely not necessary (...) Madrid has enough beds that could have been used," said Leonor Vallejo, 67, ex-nurse at the retirement.
Spain remains one of the European countries most affected by the pandemic with more than 44,000 deaths and more than 1.6 million cases.
© 2020 AFP