At the conference, they highlighted their concern for the future of healthcare in Tolosaldea and demanded the immediate subrogation of Asuncion Clinic workers. They stated that after a "long wait," they have confirmed that the Functional Plan presented for Tolosaldea does not foresee a public hospital. Instead, they denounce that it proposes a socio-health center, which they believe would lead to a "significant reduction" in the health services citizens of the region would receive.
They added that the plan does not specify essential aspects such as consultation hours, frequency, or the services to be offered, and consequently, there is no guarantee that citizens will receive comprehensive and quality healthcare with all necessary services.
Furthermore, they explained that the continuity of the Asuncion Clinic workers is not guaranteed. The approximately 370 employees currently working do not have their jobs secured, and many of them have been providing an essential public service to the region's citizens for years, within a privatized management and often in precarious conditions. Additionally, Asuncion workers have been advocating, alongside citizens, for a public hospital in Tolosaldea for years.
“"We must not forget that many of these workers have been providing an essential public service to the region's citizens for years, within a privatized management and often in precarious conditions."
For all these reasons, the LAB and ELA unions have requested the Minister of Health to subrogate all workers of the Asuncion Clinic. Furthermore, they have called for the Asuncion Clinic to be made public, utilizing the existing facilities to provide the healthcare service the region needs, and for it to be one hundred percent public, offering all services.
They declared that they will continue fighting for the labor rights of the workers and for the public, universal, and quality healthcare that the citizens of Tolosaldea require.
