Health Department declares doctor and pediatrician positions in Cantabria as difficult to fill

The Health Department of the Government of Cantabria has declared hard-to-fill positions within the organic staff of the Primary Care Management, corresponding to the statutory categories of Primary Care Family Physicians and Area and EAP Pediatrician-Childcare Specialist. The decision is formalized in the Resolution published in the Official Gazette of Cantabria number 180, dated September 18, 2026, section 2.3 Others, with official reference CVE-2026-7216, and takes effect from its publication.

The regulatory framework of the declaration

The resolution is based on the Agreement adopted on May 13, 2024, in the Sectoral Table of Statutory Personnel of the Cantabrian Health Service, regarding the regime applicable to hard-to-fill positions, approved by Agreement of the Governing Council on May 30, 2024, and published in the extraordinary BOC number 20 of the same date. Point 3.1 empowers the Health Councilor to determine these positions through a resolution published in the gazette.

The regulation establishes three requirements that must occur simultaneously to qualify a position as hard-to-fill:

• Structural personnel deficit between the actual staff providing service and the organic staff allocation.
• Urgent need to adequately guarantee healthcare needs.
• Difficulty in filling the position through ordinary selection and provision systems.

The resolution is issued at the proposal of the Cantabrian Health Service, after analyzing the staff of the Primary Care Management, and under article 5.2.s) of Law 9/2010, of December 23, on Statutory Personnel of Health Institutions of the Autonomous Community of Cantabria.

The positions included in the annex

The annex of the resolution details the affected positions, identified by staff code and basic health zone. In the category of Area and EAP Pediatrician-Childcare Specialist, the following are listed:

• Area pediatrician positions in Area I: Santander: Miera-Cudeyo, Pisueña-Selaya-Pisueña Cayón, and Alto Pas-Bajo Pas.
• Area pediatrician positions in Area II: Laredo: Alto Asón-Colindres.
• Area pediatrician positions in Area IV: Torrelavega: Nansa-San Vicente.
• EAP pediatrician positions in the basic health zones of Bajo Asón, Gama, Liébana, Meruelo, and San Vicente.

In total, the annex lists ten pediatric positions with their corresponding staff codes, in addition to the Primary Care Family Physician positions included in the same declaration.

Signature, effects, and appeals processes

The resolution was signed in Santander on September 4, 2026, by the Minister of Health, César Pascual Fernández, and appears signed on his behalf, by substitution, by the Minister of Public Works, Housing, Territorial Planning and Environment, Roberto Media Sainz, in accordance with Decree 133/2023, of August 10.

An optional appeal for reversal may be filed against the resolution before the Minister of Health within one month from the day following its publication, or a contentious-administrative appeal may be filed before the Contentious-Administrative Section of Santander of the Santander Court of First Instance within two months.

The declaration of “difficult coverage” is the key that allows for the application of specific remuneration and provision conditions to these positions, designed to attract and retain professionals where ordinary procedures fail. For the residents of Cantabria, the practical effect is twofold: it affects the healthcare workers who apply for these positions and the continuity of care in the clinics of basic zones such as Liébana, Meruelo, Gama, or San Vicente, where the stable coverage of a doctor and pediatrician determines daily access to primary care.

Source: Official Gazette of Cantabria, no. 180, of September 18, 2026, section 2.3 Others, page 46144 (official reference: CVE-2026-7216).