Spain health workers hold huge Madrid protest over state of health system

FILE PHOTO: A primary healthcare worker holds a banner that reads "SOS Public Healthcare" during the protest march over salaries and working conditions in Madrid, Spain, January 18, 2023. REUTERS/Susana Vera

MADRID (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of Spain's health workers protested in Madrid on Sunday over what they say is the destruction of the public health system by the conservative regional government.

The Madrid government has been the target of criticism in recent years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, over poor staffing in hospitals and primary healthcare centres. Protesters say it is dismantling public health services and favouring private health providers.