One stop on my vacation was Barcelona, Spain. Barcelona is well known for amazing architecture, in particular by Antoni Gaudí. One other modernist site I visited was El Hospital de Sant Pau. Designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, the hospital is a World Heritage Site. Altough part of the hositpal is being converted into a museum, other parts of the hospital still function.
Spain’s economic crisis (and in Spain the news constantly refers to their current economic situtation as a crisis) however has put significant economic strain on all types of public services, including hospitals. El Hospital de Sant Pau, the oldest in Barcelona, is having to cut its workforce. The hospital has a deficit of more the than 10 million Euros ($13.6 USD) and although there are no official layoffs, 825 workers will need to take a mandated furlough to reduce the deficit.
When I was there, workers were protesting that health care is not negotiable and the cuts should be reversed. With Spain’s current economic situation, however, more health care cuts are likely on their way.
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