Manager of Specialized Assistance at the Salamanca hospital is dismissed

The Regional Ministry of Health of Castilla y León has ordered the discretionary dismissal of María del Carmen Rodríguez Pajares as manager of Specialized Care at the University Healthcare Complex of Salamanca. The decision, adopted by Order SAN/875/2026, dated September 7, is published in the Official Gazette of Castilla y León number 174, dated September 8, 2026, and takes effect from the day of its publication.

The dismissal is based on the assessment of the performance of her duties, which, according to the Administration, “does not align with the management requirements currently required in the Regional Health Management.” The measure responds to the proposal for dismissal formulated on September 7, 2026, by the Regional Health Management of Castilla y León.

Background of the appointment

Rodríguez Pajares accessed the position through the system of free appointment. The process began with Order SAN/1101/2024, dated October 16, which announced the public call to fill the position, published in BOCyL number 213, dated October 31, 2024.

• The call was open to personnel who did not hold the status of permanent statutory staff, in accordance with article 38.3 of Law 2/2007, of March 7, on the Legal Statute of the Statutory Personnel of the Health Service of Castilla y León.
• Order SAN/821/2025, dated July 18, resolved the call and appointed the manager.
• As she was not permanent statutory staff, a special employment contract for Senior Management Personnel was signed on July 29, 2025, regulated by Royal Decree 1382/1985, of August 1.

Legal basis for the dismissal

Article 38.6 of Law 2/2007 allows for the reasoned removal, at any time, of personnel who have accessed the position by free appointment. Furthermore, the eighth clause of the Senior Management contract considers the employer’s will at any time, on a discretionary basis, as a cause for termination.

The resolution, signed by the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Alejandro Vázquez Ramos, is issued in exercise of the powers conferred by article 6.2.b) of the aforementioned law. The order is published in accordance with Decree 73/2009, of October 8, which regulates the provision and removal of free appointment positions in the health centers of the Regional Health Management.

Appeals and notification

The resolution exhausts the administrative route. A contentious-administrative appeal may be filed against it before the competent Court of First Instance within two months from the day following its publication, or, previously and optionally, a request for reversal before the same body within one month.

The order further provides for the individual and personal notification to the interested party of the full proposed resolution of termination, in accordance with Article 46 of Law 39/2015, of October 1, on the Common Administrative Procedure, in order to avoid any infringement of her rights and legitimate interests.

Impact

The termination affects the health management of one of the region’s main hospital complexes, which groups specialized care in Salamanca. The departure of the manager, barely a year after her appointment, highlights the direct control that the Ministry of Health exercises over freely appointed positions in health centers, and opens the door to a new call to fill the position.

Source: Official Gazette of Castilla y León, no. 174, September 8, 2026, I. Community of Castilla y León, B.1. Appointments, Situations and Incidents, pág. 5-6 (official reference: Order SAN/875/2026, CV: BOCYL-D-08092026-174-1).