Editorial: Health without rest

More than a thousand family doctors and pediatricians who have extended their careers thanks to “enhanced active retirement” could leave their positions on December 28. If the government does not extend this measure, primary care will suffer a devastating blow. In centers such as … Valenzuela (Córdoba) or Hulin (Málaga), up to 25 percent of doctors will disappear overnight. And there are no spare parts. This extension is not a privilege: it is a necessary correction in the event of a structural failure. Lack of planning in the last 20 years has hollowed out the pool of alternative generations. Many seasoned doctors continue to deviate from compliance and not comply. It is supported by the Spanish Association of Primary Care Physicians: If they are trained, let them continue. However, the central government, which has very little power in this matter vis-à-vis the autonomous regions, has this in hand, but claims there are budget complications. Not making a decision is the worst reaction. Public health cannot be maintained in the presence of uncertainty or forgetfulness.