Hundreds of thousands rally to defend Madrid public healthcare

Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators rallied in Madrid in defence of the region's primary care services, warning that plans to overhaul the system would "destroy" local healthcare.

On a sunny afternoon, huge crowds rallied at four points across the capital and marched on city hall in a mass protest under the slogan: "Madrid rallies in support of public healthcare and against the plan to destroy primary care services".

Primary care services in the Madrid area have been under huge pressure for years due to a lack of resources and staff, with the situation worsened by poor regional management, unions say.

A regional government spokesman said there were 200,000 people out on the streets, but organisers gave a figure three times higher, saying 650,000 demonstrators had joined the protest.

The protest convened by local associations and municipalities took aim at the health policies of Ayuso's regional government, its push for public-private healthcare partnerships and its restructuring of the primary care system.

They will join an earlier strike by medical staff over the new model for non-hospital emergency centres, which have seen some offering only video consultations due to a lack of staff.

The protest comes ahead of a planned strike by nearly 5,000 regional family doctors and paediatricians scheduled for November 21, due to "the overload of work, endless appointments and lack of time with patients".