The Withdrawal of Health Care from Irregular Immigrants and Medical Conscientious Objection
Keywords:
Spanish Health Care Cuts, Economic Crisis, Irregular Immigrants, Public Health, Medical Conscientious Objection, Recortes sanitarios en España, crisis económica, inmigrantes irregulares, salud pública, objeción de conciencia médicaAbstract
The economic crisis so strongly affecting some southern European countries has led to significant cuts in the system of universal public health care in Spain. Such measures particularly affect irregular immigrants and can also cause significant public health consequences.
A form of civil resistance that deserves to be analyzed is the conscientious objection of Spanish doctors who have chosen to continue attending irregular immigrants in contravention of new the rules restricting their access to the public health system and their right to health.
The aim of this paper is to analyze the new regulation which cut health care for irregular immigrants in Spain, the impact of this new regulation on the most vulnerable groups, and the response of doctors, who exercised their right to conscientious objection in relation to applying the new regulation. Finally to examine the announcement of change which came about as a consequence of international and domestic social pressure causing political risk to the Spanish National Government.
La crisis económica, que ha afectado tan profundamente a algunos países del sur de Europa, ha dado lugar a significativos recortes en el sistema de atención sanitaria pública en España. Algunas de las medidas adoptadas han afectado específicamente a los inmigrantes irregulares y pueden tener, incluso, efectos en el ámbito de la salud pública.
Una forma de desobediencia civil que merece ser analizada es la declaración de objeción de conciencia de determinados médicos y profesionales sanitarios españoles que han continuado atendiendo a los inmigrantes irregulares en contra de las nuevas restricciones impuestas por el Gobierno que afectan al reconocimiento universal del derecho a la salud.
El propósito de este artículo es el de analizar la nueva regulación que limita el acceso a la asistencia sanitaria de los inmigrantes irregulares en España, el impacto de esta nueva regulación en los grupos más vulnerables y la reacción de los médicos y el personal sanitario que, ejercitando su derecho a la objeción de conciencia, a modo de desobediencia civil, continúan atendiendo a los inmigrantes independientemente de su situación de irregularidad. Finalmente, se examina el anuncio de determinados cambios normativos como consecuencia de la presión ejercida sobre el Gobierno español por organizaciones internacionales y grupos sociales nacionales.
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