This campaign asks for support of the citizens to this opposition with the law No. 16/2012 of the health care system. To find out more please visit www.derechoacurar.org .
With this initiative, we want to contribute to the movement launched by the Spanish Organization of Family and Community Medicine (SEMFYC), on July 10th, and has already included 1300 professionals who are opposed to the medical exclusion.
The initiative, originally written for so-called family doctors, spread in all the medical specialties, such as nurses, administrative staff …. "Specifically refers to a movement in the medical world against a measure that opposes their professional ethics. We want to act as a pull for the medical staff to regain the right to treat all people in need, regardless of the bureaucracy, "says president of Médecins du Monde in Spain, Àlvaro Gonzàlez.
For the above, various forms of communication have been promoted, such as cards, videos, stickers and photos on social networks. Overall, the campaign is already supported by medical communities, professional associations and NGOs.
The contribution of citizens to the movement
Along with the help of representatives of the medical profession, this initiative seeks to sensitize and mobilize citizens in favour of everyone’s right to health. On the internet every citizen can find a card- prototype to guide his doctor on how he/she can oppose to the exclusion of immigrants from the health care system.
From a web page, someone can complement a card, addressed to the minister of health, expressing his opposition to the exclusion from the medical care system of migrants without residence permit, and in this way to spread opposition to the reform made in the health care system.
Moral obligation
Access to health care for all without discrimination is a legal right recognized on a national and international level. From the oath of Hippocrates to the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Geneva in 1948, it has been expressed through the medical profession’s code of ethics the obligation to protect health without discrimination of any kind.The Treaty of Lisbon of the World’s Medical Association for patients’ rights, says: "When the law, a government measure or any other organization or government denies these rights to the patient, the medical staff should investigate the proper way in order to ensure and to introduce them. "
Beyond this assumption, we invite people who work in the health sector (medical or administrative staff) to express their opposition to the exclusion from the health care system, of the most vulnerable people especially migrants without resident’s permit. "The workforce in health sector can and should have learned that the treatment is much more than a commitment, it is a right that we can exercise without limits," said Álvaro González.
In Médecins du Monde (in Spain) we believe that this reform is a major setback in terms of social rights and we reject each argument for the adoption of this measure. "Immigrants do not come to Spain to take advantage of the coverage of the social and medical system," says Álvaro González. "There are countless surveys that show that immigrants use less medical services than the Hispanic population."