At least 500 people, including healthcare professionals and citizens who support the ‘white tide’, met at 12:00 am in the Plaza de Castilla to participate in a new march which ended in front of the Hospital Carlos III. Attendees have spoken out against the ascription of the hospital in the Hospital La Paz.The demonstration started in a critical environment in which shouts and chants were chanted against the Ministry of Health in Madrid and in particular the Minister of Health, Javier Fernández Lasquetty, and Ignacio Gonzalez, the president of the Community of Madrid.

The ‘white tide’ was headed by two banners. In the first, the workers of the Hospital Carlos III said ‘We will resist,’ while the second, by the Bureau of Public Health Defence of Madrid (MEDSAP), advocated a public health system.The demonstration, escorted by several police vans National Castellana elapsed through the emblematic Kio Towers until the Hospital Carlos III where was read a manifesto drafted by Medsap, organizer of the event.

The proclamation calls for maintaining the competence of hospital. The proclamation has demanded maintaining the competencies of that hospital, one of the leading national and international levels in the treatment of highly contagious diseases, rather than turn it into a media center and long stay employed by the Hospital La Paz.According to a management worker of Carlos III, Carmen Ontivero, ‘what they want to do is convert one of the referral hospitals in Spain in a nursing home.’ The worker also has urged leaders ‘not to forget’ the work that was done there for research on various diseases such as tuberculosis or influenza A.

For their part, the unions were also present at the rally and Jesus Jordan, Secretary of Trade Union established staff sanitary CCOO, said that changes in the hospital ‘end up’ with a high quality service for all citizens.The secretary of the Union of Practical Nursing (SAE), Mari Angeles Torres, has invited citizens to protest with them. ‘At the end of the day, we lose we are all patients and services, so we want more people to join these demonstrations.

The delegate of the Union of Nursing (SATs), Juan Jose Cano, said that since the organization also fears that this change in activity may involve layoffs at Carlos III which has been labeled as ‘disastrous’.