This is one of the 25 proposals to guarantee the continuity of care presented by the Unions of Primary Care Physicians of Aragón (CESMAragón and FASAMET) and the Medical Associations of Zaragoza, Huesca and Teruel.
These proposals, presented to the Government of Aragon, are part of the conclusions of the Primary Care analysis day in which more than a hundred professionals have analyzed the needs of the urban, rural and 061 Primary Care Teams.
These medical groups consider that today it is impossible to provide care services to which the population was accustomed many years ago and add that the definitive solution to the lack of doctors requires measures that will take a few years.
However, to avoid a definitive collapse , they point out that immediate action must be taken by increasing the staff and improving the autonomy and organization of Primary Care.
The first claim is to increase the budget allocated to Primary Care to 25% of total Health spending, as recommended by the WHO or the European Union itself. Currently, it is below 15%. A larger budget that is demanded to reach this figure in three years, demonstrating the commitment already in the budgets of the Government of Aragon for 2023, which are now being prepared.
They also highlight the need to create a single Management or Directorate for Primary Care throughout Aragon, removing it from the current dependence on the management of health sectors; as well as modifying the Sanitary Map of Aragon, already obsolete, in order to redistribute doctors in the areas where they are most needed.
The points on the working conditions of professionals include offering stable contracts and the breaks established in the Law on Prevention of Occupational Risks, developing all levels of the Professional Career, recovering the extra payments cut since 2010 and guaranteeing a maximum number of 1,500 cards healthcare for each family doctor and 1,000 in Paediatrics.
Other measures demanded are to increase compensation for dubbing consultations, review the situation of Continuing Care Physicians and implement afternoon consultation modules for those professionals over 55 years of age exempt from shifts.
The general measures also include the debureaucratization of consultations so that each doctor is responsible only for the administrative management that he generates; the increase in educational centers where MIRs are trained, especially in rural areas so that new doctors know their reality, and compensate tutors; and campaigns for the good use of health services for the population.
The specific demands for Primary Care in urban health centers include controlling the demand with filters in Admission and better defining the functions of the staff, limiting the maximum number of patients in the agendas to guarantee the quality of care and redefining Continuous Care.
Regarding the specific needs in the rural Primary Care Teams , the claims go through revising the periodicity of the consultations in the smaller municipalities and improving the conditions of movement of the professionals, increasing the number of Continuous Care doctors, more training in Pediatrics during the studies and the MIR and better compensation for services in centers with difficult coverage, with a specific supplement.
Finally, the professionals of the 061 service call for non-political management, a new list of ambulances that puts an end to night neglect, puts an end to professional intrusiveness, realistic planning, improvements in labor aspects such as working hours, the rotation of doctors between different units and create the specialty of urgency and emergency physician.