The new Action Plan in Primary and Community Care 2025-2027, which will be approved in the last quarter of the year, as announced by the Minister of Health, Mónica García, causes some skepticism among professionals. She admits it Pilar Rodríguez Ledopresident of the Spanish Society of General and Family Physicians (SEMG) who, in conversation with EL PERIÓDICO DE ESPAÑA, asks for concreteness. He complains that his scientific society has not been counted on to work on the new document. The Spanish Society of Primary Care Physicians (SEMERGEN) expresses itself in a similar way: “We are very tired of good intentions and promises.”
“This has been talked about and claimed for a long time.. Now, let it be implemented. There have not been any formal meetings with our society to work on this,” says the president of the SEMG. “I understand that (the minister) is announcing it now and then she will contact the societies. But a plan of this type cannot be made without counting all of us who are in Primary Care, specifically Family Medicine. If we are talking about an official call to society to prevent the escape of toilets, they have not yet been in contact,” adds Rodríguez Ledo.
Retain talent
“We are working on the new Action Plan in Primary and Community Care for the year 2025-2027. I want to be clear about this. Primary Care has come to this Ministry to stay, to become stronger, to become strong. When I go abroad, when I go abroad, our Primary Care in our National Health System It is the envy of the rest of the countries“García declared during the New Economy Forum Breakfast held this Monday.
Retaining and attracting talent is one of the pillars of the new plan, according to the Minister of Health
The head of Health has advanced that the strategy is based on three basic priorities: retain and attract talent, expand the portfolio of services and Primary Care teams and strengthen home care. In the first section, he pointed out that it is “key” because 16% of professionals who specialize in Family and Community Medicine end up working outside of Primary Care” and 9% of residents leave that residence.
Home care
The second objective of the Plan is to ensure that Primary Care teams are capable of offering “more complete” care and the aim is to “expand the portfolio of services.” Finally, the plan, with which it works together with the autonomous communities and scientific societies, wants to strengthen and promote home care, the minister has assured.
“We can only say that we celebrate that, finally, it is put into operation and that we try to implement it if that is what is going to be done. Because there are many plans for many years“says Dr. Rodríguez Ledo. With the estimate of the Ministry itselfAccording to the doctor, there would be a certain improvement in 2027 and stabilization, for professionals, from 2030. “We are in 2024. We must reach that date and comply. We continue with the usual practice of not taking medium and long-term measures “.
Innovative proposals
SEMERGEN, for its part, states that it welcomes all the initiatives “with interest” and also points out, like the SEMG, that “it has been years repeatedly claiming the need to strengthen Primary Care, the backbone of the health system, demanding a real commitment to Family and Community Medicine.” The society highlights the importance “of the active participation” of professionals in the execution of this document.
In fact, they point out that it has presented three consensus documents “with innovative proposals” for the reconstruction of the National Health System. The medical society adds that recognizes and values “the efforts” of the Ministry of Health to improve Primary Care, but also shows “its permanent frustration” regarding the “gap among political promises and its effective implementation”.
SEMERGEN advocates for “clear and measurable” commitments on the part of the Ministry of Health and the regional administrations.
“We are very tired of good intentions and promises that do not translate into effective actions. There are numerous previous initiatives that, although well-intentioned, have failed to materialize into tangible improvements” states Dr. José Polo.
SEMERGEN advocates for “clear and measurable” commitments by the Ministry of Health and the regional administrations. “We demand a specific work plan and, most importantly, a detailed budget investment that ensures that the plans will be translated into palpable realities in health centers and for patients,” emphasizes Dr. Polo.
The uncertain summer
About the concern due to lack of doctors in the summer in the health centers, the president of the SEMG says that “it is to be expected. As long as concrete measures are not taken, this will continue like this.” The upcoming summer period, she concludes, is “more of the same.” The centers are left on the edge and are worried. Also in the most saturated areas, which in these months receive a large flow of tourists. “If doctors are no longer enough on a daily basis, in those areas we would have to do a planning of the necessary resources,” he points out.
Of the restlessness in many autonomous communities due to the uncertain scenario that is presented this summer, it was discussed, again, in the last Interterritorial Council of the National Health System, on June 14. Several PP advisors criticized the minister for not addressing this lack that will especially affect Primary Care. “There was already a rapprochement and we agreed in the previous plenary session, extraordinary by the way, to address this issue, about what the measures were“, then indicated the head of Health.