Public health workers to take to the streets for improved conditions on May 29

Covid-19 has exposed the cracks in society – including the public health system. Because of this, health care workers' associations in Catalonia and elsewhere in Europe, including Romania, France, the Netherlands, and Italy, will take to the streets on May 29 to demand a solution.

In Barcelona, the protest will kick off at 10 am at Plaça Sant Jaume, the square where the Catalan government and Barcelona city council headquarters are located. Another demonstration will take place at 3 pm in Brussels.

Spokespeople for these groups from all over the continent agree that access to health care should be universal, especially when it comes to Covid-19 vaccines and treatment.

According to them, no European country was prepared for the pandemic, forcing these frontline workers to improvise when essential medical equipment was scarce. They also believe more healthcare professionals are needed.

"The problem is that health is a business and not a basic right," laments Enric Feliu of Catalonia's Marea Blanca association, which with the La Capçalera group is backing Saturday's protest in Barcelona. "With the pandemic, we have seen the health system's weaknesses, how primary care centers have been abandoned, and the precariousness of workers."

Salut es el desplegament d’una nova política de salut pública que inclogui: inversions en habitatge, polítiques socials que garanteixin unes condicions de vida dignes,..⬇️https://t.co/8E4QCoeNNK pic.twitter.com/6slpgfqUSU

— Marea Blanca CAT (@MareaBlancaCAT) May 26, 2021