About 1,300 medical staff who have been supplementing the numbers of personnel in hospitals and health centres in the province of Alicante throughout the pandemic went on strike on Tuesday, after their temporary contracts were not renewed, and now, the Ministry of Health is paying overtime as it seeks volunteers to reinforce the “vaccination groups “, especially in view of the massive immunisation process scheduled for the month of June.
Nurses, orderlies, and administrative assistants are now being asked to register in various health departments across the province, to work outside their normal hours, specifically on vaccination tasks and thereby charge overtime, a situation that is criticised by the Nursing Union, Satse.
“It is an absolute nonsense to be looking for volunteer staff having dispensed with so many nurses “said Emilia Guevara, secretary of Sindical Action at Satse.
It is especially preposterous that Health has dispensed with these 1,300 staff in the Alicante province (3,251 in the Valencian Community) at the beginning of the summer, when in a month’s time they expect to hire 6,000 additional people to cover holidays for doctors and nurses.
Cecova has warned that as a result of such ridiculous decisions, the Valencian Community may suffer a “talent drain” in Nursing.
