Ep. 17 — Madrid rises up for public healthcare — Europe Talks Back

Spain is one of the healthiest countries in the European Union. It has the longest life expectancy, and its public healthcare service is worldwide recognised. However, the population of its capital region, Madrid, has been suffering from a shortage of medical staff over the past few years. Despite being the region with the highest income per capita, Madrid is also the one that spends the least on primary care. Especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, the government of the Community of Madrid, led by Isabel Ayuso of the Popular Party, has been criticised for understaffing hospitals and primary care centres. Last November 13, doctors' and neighbours' anger exploded into a massive rally. Thousands of people took to the streets of Madrid to protest against the collapse of primary care. On this podcast, host Marìa Dios talks to Isabel Vázquez Burgos, a doctor in Vallecas, one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Madrid and to Ángeles Rodríguez de Cara, an active member of the Regional Federation of Madrid’s Neighborhood Associations, which backed the protest movement of November 13.