Foreign doctors in the Basque Country: are Basques needed?

Basque language will still be one of the requirements in order to be able to work in Osakidetz, according to sources from the Department of Health of the Basque Government, although with reservations. And, as clarified this Wednesday in Official Journal of the Basque Country (BOPV)doctors and nurses not from the EU Those wishing to register with the labor exchanges of the Basque Health Service can do so without meeting the requirements linguistic profilesince, according to the same sources, these will be “temporary contracts” and “contracts of necessity”.

“This is a specific issue,” they emphasize, emphasizing that these cases with outside professionals European Union (EU) will not lead to a “long-term” employment relationship. “They are not officials. Basque for when you’re doing OPE (State offer of employment),” the Ministry of Health justifies.

In particular, the resolution approved on Wednesday, January 3, in the Basque Gazette, explains that the Ministry of Health exempts from the requirement of citizenship in temporary selection processes who calls on the Osakidets, “before objective and urgent need for lighting categories or functional positions” in these specialties declared “scarce or difficult to cover” due to staff shortages, geographical reasons or seasonal reasons.”

In total, the decree states 52 medical specialties and 3 nurses to allow the inclusion of health workers from non-EU countries without knowledge of the language. “This is an additional provision of the Public Health Law, which was submitted to the Basque Parliament by the Ministry of Health and approved,” explain ministry sources, emphasizing that this is “a measure of the law itself.”

Criticism from trade union centers

The Osakidet workers’ representatives did not view the measure favorably, as they believed that the measure “demonstrates the absence of any medium- and long-term planning that could be implemented.” attract professionals” “Instead, it is used temporary patch “which ultimately does not solve the structural problem of Osakidetza, especially if we take into account the Basque language,” he emphasizes. Inigo GarduñoSecretary General of the Federation of Health and Social-Medical Sector CCOO Euskadi.

“We should promote and encourage the use of the Basque language among Osakidetza professionals, but the way the Basque government is proposing this will only make it more difficult,” says Garduño. The Ministry of Health, in turn, confirms Public Health Law, “a government commitment that has been fulfilled and it is very important to fulfill it.” This is the law which, as the Minister of Health defends Gotzone Sagardui before the Basque Parliament “is an important milestone, giving Euskadi updated legal framework “more effective in improving the health of the Basque population.”