Hospitals and medical centres in Andalucia are set to run on minimum service on Wednesday due to the general strike.

Emergency departments, intensive care units and maternity wards will stay open across the region.

Health centres, meanwhile, will focus on urgent cases and smaller local surgeries will operate as they do on weekends and public holidays.

The minimum service rules, published in the Andalucian government’s official bulletin on Monday, cover public and private healthcare.

They guarantee emergency care and treatment that cannot safely be interrupted.

Health centres and GP surgeries

Health centres with an urgent primary care service, known as a SUAP, will use it to cover urgent cases as they do on weekends and bank holidays, provided it operates during the centre’s usual opening hours.

At other health centres and clinics, one doctor will be available during normal opening hours to see urgent cases only.

Smaller satellite surgeries will follow their weekend and holiday arrangements. Patients who need urgent care should go to their designated health centre or SUAP.

Hospitals, cancer treatment and dialysis

Hospitals will maintain their usual Sunday or public holiday level of activity. Emergency departments will have their normal weekend or holiday complement of doctors, with scope to bring in additional staff if needed.

Urgent diagnostic tests, emergency surgery, intensive care, resuscitation and delivery rooms will remain fully covered.

The rules also protect treatment that cannot be postponed, including radiotherapy, chemotherapy, cancer surgery, dialysis and oxygen therapy.

Patients who have already started a fertility treatment cycle and are due to undergo egg retrieval will also be covered.

Hospitals will continue treating inpatients who need immediate care. Between 8am and 3pm, staffing for that care is capped at 50% of the usual weekday level. Routine appointments and non-urgent tests fall outside the guarantees set out in the order.

Ambulances and health advice

The 061 emergency service will maintain full coverage of mobile emergency teams, air ambulance crews and critical patient transfers.

Its control rooms will have 90% of their usual call handlers on each shift, rising to 95% if demand is high or an emergency plan is activated.

Salud Responde, Andalucia’s health advice and appointment service, will operate with 75% of its usual staffing.

Hospitals will also maintain the laboratory, imaging, pharmacy, patient transport and other support services needed for urgent care.

Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.