The Cantabrian Government sets minimum services for the indefinite medical strike

The Government Council of Cantabria has approved Decree 83/2026, of November 12, which establishes the minimum services that will govern the Cantabrian Health Service during the strike called by the United Doctors Union (SMU), of state and regional scope and indefinite duration, which begins at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, November 16. The regulation is published in the extraordinary Official Gazette of Cantabria no. 34, of November 13, 2026, with the official reference CVE-2026-9004. The text enters into force on the day of its publication and specifies, specialty by specialty, how many physicians must be maintained in each center, including doctors in training under the residency system.

The call was agreed upon by the Board of Directors of the United Doctors Union at its meeting on October 28, 2026, and affects all medical personnel providing services in public health centers and institutions of the Cantabrian Health Service, “regardless of the statutory, civil service, or labor nature of their service relationship.” The strike will be carried out in phases: the first extends from 8:00 a.m. on Monday, November 16, until 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 28, twelve consecutive days including a full weekend, and subsequent phases must be communicated with a minimum notice of ten calendar days.

The decree is based on Article 28.2 of the Spanish Constitution and the doctrine of the Constitutional Court (STC 33/1981, of November 5, and STC 11/1981, of April 8) to balance the right to strike with the right to health, and is issued at the proposal of the Minister of Health, César Pascual Fernández, following prior deliberation by the Government Council on November 12. It is signed by the president, María José Sáenz de Buruaga Gómez. Article 2 warns that failure to comply with the obligation to provide essential minimum services will be sanctioned in accordance with the applicable regulations.

Reinforcements at Valdecilla for the twelve consecutive days

The management of the Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital justifies the minimums based on the “possible prolonged and sustained absence of physicians for two consecutive weeks” and the areas for improvement detected in previous calls. The services that must be guaranteed are:

• Continuous emergency care in all areas and comprehensive care for admitted patients.
• Critical care: ICU, Resuscitation, Obstetrics and Neonatology, as well as Palliative Care.
• Oncological surgery with general anesthesia or other types and non-deferrable interventions.
• Medical oncology, pain treatments, dialysis, and transplants.
• Priority complementary tests and outpatient consultations for displaced patients.

Regarding previous calls, changes are introduced: Anesthesiology and Resuscitation increases from 12 to 13 specialists on the morning shift to maintain the Surgical Day Hospital; Digestive System is set at 3 morning specialists, 0 for the afternoon, and 1 on call; Obstetrics and Gynecology adds two staff members, one for first-trimester ultrasounds and another for the Assisted Reproduction Unit. The staffing table includes, among others, 36 in Emergency, 79 in Anesthesia and Resuscitation, 54 in Radiodiagnostics, and 25 in Intensive Care. For the first time, medical residents have their own minimums, equivalent to a public holiday.

160 staff in Laredo and 251 in the Sierrallana area

The Laredo Regional Hospital (Area II) gathers a total of 160 staff in the minimum services table, with urgent care guaranteed “under the same conditions as those provided during weekends and holidays.” In the Specialized Care Management Areas III-IV, the Sierrallana Regional Hospital adds 251 staff and the Tres Mares Hospital another 6, with three shifts in Emergencies.

Modifications regarding short-duration strikes include Pathological Anatomy with one morning specialist and Psychiatry-Psychology with two in the morning and one in the afternoon. By specialty, 11 staff in Traumatology, 10 in Internal Medicine, 9 in Psychiatry and Radiology, 8 in General Surgery, and 5 in Gynecology and Ophthalmology stand out.

Primary Care: 50 doctors out of 401 and 72.22% of the SUAPs

In the Primary Care Management, 50 Primary Care team doctors are maintained out of a total of 401 staff, and 18 pediatricians out of 81. The coverages established by the decree are:

• Primary Care Emergency Services (SUAP): 72.22%, with 26 doctors out of 36.
• Emergency Services (061): 100%, with the six doctors and six nurses on call.
• Primary Care Team: 12.47% for family doctors and 22.22% for pediatrics.
• Primary Care Clinical Psychologist: 0%.
• Oral Health: 4.55%, with one dentist out of 22.

The annex also sets the minimums to zero for the ESAD of Santander, the occupational physician of Cazoña, and the doctors of the drug addiction units of Santander, Torrelavega, and Laredo, while the Primary Care pharmacist maintains a staff of five.

The decree arrives while Cantabrian healthcare is facing a strike affecting virtually its entire medical staff, including residents, which will last at least until November 28. Patients will notice its effect primarily in outpatient clinics, scheduled surgical activity, and diagnostic delays, while emergency services, oncology, dialysis, and critical care remain protected by the regulation.

Source: Official Gazette of Cantabria, extraordinary no. 34, November 13, 2026, section I. General Provisions (Governing Council), pp. 5747-5760 (official reference: CVE-2026-9004).