The Partido Popular is campaigning on a plan to overhaul Spain's health system. Carmen Fúnez, the party's national vice-secretary for Health and Social Policy, says the Sistema Nacional de Salud is outdated.
At the VII Simposio del Observatorio de la Sanidad, Fúnez said the real danger for Spanish healthcare was doing nothing. "The biggest risk for Spanish healthcare is to leave it as it is," she said. Outdated laws and a system under pressure are basic to the problem. The PP says Spain's health system is built on a model that no longer fits the country, and change cannot wait.
Fúnez promised that, if the PP wins, Spain will have a prime minister who knows the health system inside out. She declined to dwell on past legislative failures and focused instead on what comes next. The PP wants regional governments and healthcare workers at the table, with technology leaders involved too. Reform will require their involvement.
Territorial disparities are a flashpoint. Fúnez criticized a system in which a patient's care depends on their postcode. The PP wants the Interterritorial Council to allow genuine coordination, not conflict between Madrid and the regions. "We must recover the policy of cohesion in healthcare," she said.
Healthcare workers are basic to the PP's plan. Fúnez was direct: "There will be no healthcare reform with the PP without involving professionals." The party wants to improve working conditions and put professionals in charge of change. She also voiced support for healthcare staff in Ceuta, who face tough conditions.
Spain will soon lack enough doctors in several specialties, information from the data cited by Fúnez. The PP wants to match MIR training slots to future needs and give doctors reasons to stay in Spain. Reform of the Estatuto Estructura, the law for healthcare workers, is also on the table.
Primary care is a priority. Fúnez called it "the backbone of the SNS" and said it needs to work better and cut red tape. The PP's plan also accounts for changing patient needs. Better coordination between administrations is basic, the party says, so patients and families do not bear the cost of inefficiency.
The PP wants a dedicated funding stream for the SNS in the new regional finance model to keep the system running. Fúnez also wants to change how public policies are assessed, shifting focus from spending to results. The party plans to boost prevention and health promotion, including vaccines and screenings.
Fúnez also criticized the current government. She said the only law it had passed was to create the Agencia de Salud Pública, which she described as merely a decision to place it in Zaragoza. She also warned that Spain lacks a strategic medicine reserve and should not face another crisis unprepared.
Mental health will be a core promise in the PP's plan. Fúnez says the new model will focus on people, including patients and professionals, rather than bureaucracy. With the election close, the PP is betting that voters want a modern, fair health system built to last.
