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On 16 February 2026, doctors across Spain began coordinated strike action in response to the Government’s proposed reform of the Estatuto Marco, the legal framework that regulates working conditions for public healthcare professionals.
Although described as an “indefinite” strike, the action is taking place in scheduled blocks across several months rather than as a continuous withdrawal of labour. The dispute centres on concerns raised by medical unions that the proposed reform does not adequately recognise the specific responsibilities, training requirements, legal liability and working patterns associated with the medical profession.
Doctors have raised concerns about the regulation of on-call duties, long working hours, pension recognition of on-call time, career progression and remuneration structures. Union representatives argue that the issue is not solely financial, but relates to long-term sustainability of the profession and patient safety within the public healthcare system.
The Legal Position During a Strike
Under Spanish law, the right to strike is constitutionally protected. However, when strikes affect essential public services such as healthcare, authorities are required to establish legally mandated minimum services, known as servicios mínimos. These are intended to safeguard the population’s fundamental rights, particularly the right to health protection.
Minimum services must ensure continuity of urgent and life-preserving care. Emergency departments remain operational. Intensive care units continue functioning. Urgent surgery and time-critical treatments are maintained. Treatments that cannot be safely postponed, including many oncology and urgent diagnostic services, are typically protected.
This means that while industrial action is lawful, it cannot lawfully result in the withdrawal of essential, emergency or life-saving medical care.
How Patients May Be Affected
While urgent care continues, non-urgent and routine services may be disrupted during strike weeks. The level of impact can vary between autonomous communities depending on participation levels and how minimum services are implemented locally.
Patients may experience the following:
Delays or cancellation of routine primary care appointments
Postponement of non-urgent specialist consultations
Rescheduling of elective or planned surgical procedures
Slower processing of referrals and certain diagnostic tests
Longer waiting times during affected weeks
What Patients Should Do:
Patients with scheduled appointments during strike periods are advised to check directly with their local health centre or hospital. Regional health services may issue notifications if appointments are postponed or rescheduled. In urgent or emergency situations, patients should seek care as normal through emergency services, which remain operational.
Importantly, patients retain their right to urgent and essential healthcare throughout the strike period. Any failure to provide minimum legally required services would fall outside the lawful scope of industrial action.
Planned nationwide strike weeks:
16–20 February 2026
16–20 March 2026
27–30 April 2026
18–22 May 2026
15–19 June 2026
These dates form the first scheduled phase of what unions have described as an indefinite strike. The structure is one designated week of action per month while negotiations continue.
The dates themselves apply nationally. However, the practical impact can vary between autonomous communities. Each region sets its own legally required minimum service levels during healthcare strikes. This means the number of doctors required to continue working, and therefore the level of disruption to routine services, may differ depending on the region and the level of participation locally.
Emergency and urgent care must continue everywhere, but routine appointments and non-urgent procedures may be affected differently from one region to another.
