The challenge brings them. In Pinto, a municipality located south of the Community of Madrid has long faced the complicated task of ensuring that their 56,000 inhabitants will meet a doctor when they go to their health center. The reason? Its outpatients are cataloged as “Difficult coverage”a handicap to which the shortage of specialists in family and community medicine nationwide and the cost of housing in the city (11.7 euros/m2), that (although it remains significantly below the prices of the capital) has seen how rents were more expensive 17.5% in a matter of one year.
Given that panorama, the City Council of Pinto has opted for a radical measure: ‘give away’ floors to doctors who move to the municipality. It is nothing new. Before He already did For similar reasons another Galician town: Sanxenxo.
What happened? That Pinto has opted for a radical measure to capture new doctors and guarantee health care in their health centers and PAC. So that the city squares are more attractive and the house does not involve a problem, the City Council will offer accommodation without cost to the doctors. Literally. The decision was announced by the mayor himself, Solomon Aguado (PP), At the end of Juneduring the debate on the state of the city.
And how will it do it? Your idea is to offer up to six municipal ownership homes, apartments from one or two bedrooms in which doctors can settle for free. The agreement will be formalized through the bailment, a contract by which the City Council yields the enjoyment of the floor without cost for a certain time. Once that term is fulfilled the Consistory recovers the house. Except for last minute or unforeseen changes, the objective is that the measure is launched immediately, throughout The second half of the year.
What result has you given? For now the offer seems to have aroused interest. Only a few hours after the announcement, in the City Council mailbox There were already applications of doctors from different areas of the country. And since then the drip of curricula has remained. Today The confidential account That Pinto has more than 40 candidates from the Balearic Islands, Galicia, Andalucía, Castilla-La Mancha, Canary Islands … and even countries such as Cuba, Venezuela, Ecuador or Mexico. Their curricula will be transferred to the Community of Madrid to include them in the bag to which, periodically, vacancies available in the town are offered.
How serious is the problem? The City Council of Pinto recalls that its health centers are considered “difficult to cover” and, although in recent years the shortage of doctors has softened, the situation in the city’s consultations remains without being the ideal. Hence you want to capture more doctors. The country remember how at its worst moment the town stayed No doctors in the emergency room and the template of its two health centers was reduced to minimum levels.
Free housing is not the only claim to attract doctors to Pinto. In 2024 the regional government announced an incentive of 500 euros per month For professionals who work in “difficult coverage” centers, a complement that, as the Executive himself remembered, adds to other pluses already approved. Ayuso recently He influenced again In that line when announcing a salary increase of 280 euros for nurses who work in centers with the same consideration.
Is it something new? No. In recent years Other municipalities They have launched to offer Free housing to cover certain services or even stop the depopulation. However, there is a specific town that already resorted to a formula similar to that of Pinto with the same purpose: Sanxenxo, a municipality of Las Rías Baixas of 18,000 neighbors What sees how its population multiplies exponentially During the summer months. Precisely for that reason, a few years ago his City Council He had an idea To ensure that your health care is reinforced from June to September: offer free housing to doctors.
The measure was supported by an agreement signed by the Consistory and the Sergas (the Galician service of Saúde) and contemplated that the municipality took charge of the rental of four homes during the summer months. The idea was the same: free house for doctors willing to reinforce attention in the centers of the area, although in its case the offer was temporary, of June 1 and September 30. The initiative worked A timebut It was abandoned This summer. The reason? Sergas can already cover places with their own doctors. In Sanxenxo the M2 for rent reached in June the € 22.8almost 33% more than a year ago.
Images | Pinto City Council, Luis Meléndez (UNSPLASH) and Wikipedia (Zarateman)
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