Spanish Public health

This past Sunday, tens of thousands of Andalusians marched in the streets of Seville, Huelva, Malaga and Granada to manifest their profound disagreement with  the regional government´s policy of slow but relentless reductions in the budget for public health services (SAS). Just recently the Andalusian Medical Association and its more than 35,000 members went on record warning the public that the cost-cutting has put medical service and hospitals on the verge of collapse. Members of the Medical Association lead the protests that now close off traffic in major cities and smaller ones across Spain´s most populous region. The manifestations are embarrassing to the regional president since she wants to present her candidacy to the national presidency of the Spanish Workers´ Socialist Party (PSOE). Can you imagine the smiles that her abandonment of social causes and benefits bring to the faces of  social democrats in the PSOE? Maybe that is why Mr. Paxti López announced his candidacy to the throne of Spanish socialism yesterday. As Americans is seems incredulous that medical associations would stand up to be counted against the potential demise of public health in Spain. Of course this is Spain, not the United States.