Health Care Cuts in Spain Devastate the Disabled

This past month, journalist Jordi Evole’s acclaimed TV documentary series ‘Salvados’ (or ‘Saved’ in Spanish) aired a show about Spain’s changes to its Dependency Law, which is meant to assist the disabled. Signed in 2006 under the Socialist government, the law was initially aimed at alleviating the financial strain people with disabilities endure on a daily basis.

The legislation was also designed to help caregivers, primarily women, provide the attention and care necessary, while still being paid and valued as workers. But after Mariano Rajoy’s right-wing Popular Party took over, this law and the lives of those in need of healthcare have been dramatically altered. As if the tremendous cuts the country is suffering weren’t enough, the noose keeps on tightening.

Because of the staggering salary cuts, some people are now no longer able to afford healthcare professional services, so they have been forced to leave their jobs in order to take care of their loved ones. Unfortunately, those who do are not subsidized or given the means to adequately care for those dependent upon them.

Cruel and Sexist Health Care Cuts

In 2012, there were 179,829 caregivers under the Spanish Social Security system; but in 2013, there were less than 20,000, and obviously the decrease is not due to there being less people in need of health care. The state simply isn’t paying what it should, and isn’t treating the caregivers as workers. In theory, it should cover 50% of the cost of dependency, but in 2012 it only paid 21%. Plus, just to ice the cake, they justify themselves by stating that women must freely undergo the role of the caregiver because that is their duty as women.

During the Salvados program, people such as Jaume Martorell (who has a severe disability) vociferously criticized the current political system:

“It’s unbelievable. With everything that’s happening in this country, people are not fighting it.”

Martorell even wrote a letter to the president, Mariano Rajoy, accusing him of purposefully targeting people who struggle the most. He also wrote a letter to Jorge Moragas, the president’s cabinet’s director, demanding answers and solutions. During the show, Evole proceeded to call Moragas and asked him to listen to Jaume’s concerns. But Moragas would have none of it. Abruptly and rather rudely, he informed both that he didn’t remember who Jaume Martorell was, and that he didn’t have time for this type of conversation. He then hung up on them. Jaume’s father lamented that:

“For the government, helping us is not an investment but a waste, because they believe that dependent people are not useful anymore. The government has forgotten about us. I think we need to start taking this seriously. We need to take these people to court.”

Sadly, it’s the same old story. We live in a system that favors the rich and punishes the poor, and the absurdity of it all keeps becoming more extreme. We’re seeing continued cuts to health care, education, and cultural services, but the military budget remains the same. Our salaries and living conditions are deteriorating, but the president raises his own salary a whopping 21%. The government blames the lack of money as the cause of all our problems, but practically all of its members are being summoned to court for corruption scandals. They have the money, they just don’t spend it on us.

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