Spain Healthcare Strike From 27 January 2026

An indefinite nationwide healthcare strike is scheduled to begin across Spain on 27 January 2026, with stoppages called every Tuesday until further notice. Unions have deliberately chosen a rolling, once-a-week format to maintain pressure over time while keeping essential services open.

Who is going on strike?

The strike has been called by major health unions that represent a wide range of staff in the public health system (SNS), including nurses, auxiliary staff, technicians, administrative workers and other categories. Groups such as SATSE-FSES, CCOO, UGT, CSIF and others are backing the action at national and regional level.

Alongside this general strike, doctors’ unions (including CESM and regional organisations) are preparing their own indefinite action from 16 February, with rolling weeks of walkouts and a large demonstration planned in Madrid.

What is the dispute about?

The core issue is the reform of the Estatuto Marco, the Framework Statute that regulates working conditions for statutory staff in Spain’s public health system. The Health Ministry has circulated a new draft, but unions say it does not go far enough to address workload, staffing and job security problems exposed in recent years.

Among their complaints are long shifts and on-call hours, high temporary employment, pressure on primary care, and what they see as insufficient recognition of professional careers and pay progression across all categories, not just doctors.

How does this connect with doctors’ separate strike?

Medical unions have been running their own campaign against deteriorating working conditions, overcrowded emergency departments and growing waiting lists, and they see the current Estatuto Marco proposal as a missed opportunity. They have announced an indefinite strike from 16 February, with rotating weeks of stoppages and national-level protests if the Ministry does not substantially improve the text.

This means that patients could face two overlapping waves of industrial action in early 2026: the Tuesday strikes involving a broad range of SNS workers, and an additional layer of disruption centred on medical staff from mid-February onwards.

How will the strike affect patients and expats?

During strike days, public hospitals and health centres are required by law to maintain minimum services, particularly for emergencies, intensive care, oncology, dialysis, childbirth and other critical areas. However, many non-urgent operations, tests and routine appointments are likely to be postponed or rescheduled, and waiting rooms may be busier than usual.

For expats and residents who depend solely on the public system, this can translate into longer waiting times for specialist consultations, follow-up visits and elective surgery, on top of delays already accumulated after the pandemic and previous strikes.

What should patients do if they have an appointment?

If you have a public health appointment or test scheduled on a Tuesday from 27 January onwards, it is sensible to check in advance whether it is still going ahead. You can do this via your regional online health platform, by calling your health centre or by checking any SMS notifications sent by the service.

In general, urgent and critical care will remain available, but for non-urgent issues it may be worth avoiding strike days if you have flexibility. If you are unsure whether your case is urgent, call the regional health advice line or your primary care centre before heading to A&E.

What options do expats with private insurance have?

Expats who hold private health insurance can usually continue to access consultations and tests in their insurer’s network as normal, since the strike affects the public SNS, not private hospitals and clinics. For many foreign residents, private cover can be a useful backup during strike periods, especially for specialist visits and diagnostic tests.

However, even privately insured patients should remember that in life-threatening emergencies they may still be taken to the nearest public hospital by ambulance, where minimum services must be guaranteed despite the strike.

Could the strike still be called off?

Strikes in Spain’s health sector are sometimes suspended or softened if late-stage negotiations produce concrete commitments, for example on staffing levels, pay scales or changes to the Estatuto Marco text. Unions have left the door open to halting the Tuesday stoppages if the government tables a proposal they consider credible.

For now, though, both sides appear to be preparing for a prolonged confrontation, so patients and expats should plan on the basis that disruption to the public health system could continue for several weeks or even months into 2026.

Concerned about delays in the public health system?

If you want quicker access to doctors, tests and specialist care during strike periods, you may want to look at affordable private health insurance options in Spain that allow you to use private hospitals and clinics nationwide.