What does the doctors' strike mean for patients now?

On the figures from 4 November, patients on Gran Canaria should not expect widespread cancellations. The Canary health authority reported 4.8% turnout across the islands and a day without significant incidents.

Minimum services secure care, the authority says, and 1,383 staff were on duty that morning. Postponed appointments are still possible, but no figure exists for the current strike.

The authorities have not published any guidance on cancelled appointments, or a dedicated contact point for patients. Anyone with a hospital or health centre appointment should ask there beforehand whether it will go ahead.

What happened at the Hospital Insular?

About 80 doctors gathered outside the Hospital Insular de Gran Canaria on Wednesday 4 November from around 07:40. The rally ended just after 08:00.

They crossed the pedestrian crossing at the main entrance again and again, chanting slogans. Cristina Escott, a board member of the CESM doctors' union, called the spot “strategic” for visibility.

At times traffic stopped at the roundabout by the hospital access road. Ambulances could still come and go, and two Policía Nacional (national police) vans stood by.

Apart from “a minor scuffle”, Escott said, nothing happened. The rally is part of the open-ended strike that several doctors' unions began on 16 October.

How high is turnout across the islands?

On Gran Canaria, 155 of 1,553 affected staff stopped work on 4 November, which is 9.98%. The Canary health authority gives Gran Canaria the highest figure in absolute numbers.

On Tenerife, 37 of 2,061 affected staff struck, or 1.8%. Lanzarote had four (1.69%), Fuerteventura one person (0.33%) and La Palma three (1.86%).

According to the authority, nobody on La Gomera or El Hierro stopped work. The strike call covers 4,164 staff, out of 7,281 employees who could take part.

The unions regularly report far higher figures than the SCS for earlier strike days. For 4 November only the authority's figures exist, with no counter-count from the unions.

What do the doctors demand, and what does the government offer?

The unions CESM Canarias and SEMCA make three demands: more doctors' representation at negotiating tables, better working and rest hours, and higher pay. They want to make the Canary health service more attractive.

A central aim, RTVC reports, is to replace 24-hour shifts with 12-hour shifts. At the 27 October demonstration, Dr Sara Moreno of the Hospital Insular said a shift plus the following one now lasts about 30 hours.

The unions demand about 150 million euros, RTVC reports, while the SCS offered about 50 million euros. Health minister Esther Monzón said on-call rates had risen by about 47%.

In June, RTVC reports, the SCS had offered a 20% rise for the lower-paid on-call hours, from 23.90 euros to around 27 to 28 euros. Whether the 47% is a later offer has not been confirmed.

Why are the unions and the government at odds?

There has been no contact with the SCS since 24 October, the unions say. Escott said public remarks by SCS director Adasat Goya and minister Monzón had worsened the tone.

Atlántico Hoy reports that both said the demands “would ruin the system”. RTVC adds that Monzón also called them “unachievable”.

The unions do not see Goya as the right counterpart and want to negotiate directly with regional president Fernando Clavijo. They say they are ready to talk at any time, weekends included.

The ministry wanted to resume talks only once the strike was suspended, RTVC reports, and the union refused on 27 October. No negotiating date has been confirmed.

What happens next?

The open-ended strike has no end date. After the 27 October demonstration, a coordination meeting of the unions was to decide the next steps, and its outcome is not known.

The regional strike runs separately from the national dispute over the Estatuto Marco, the framework statute for staff in the state health system. Madrid's health ministry negotiates that statute, while the regional government, through the SCS, sets pay and working hours in the island hospitals.

How many appointments the current strike cancels is unknown. No figure has been published.