- A new REDER report reviews the trajectory and current situation of Universal Healthcare in Spain, its essential contributions to society, and the need to recover it urgently.
Exactly nine years ago today, Spain was a model of public healthcare: it offered almost complete coverage to citizens, with high quality services at barely any cost (except a few modest co-payments) to patients. But on 20 April 2012, the PP approved a law that ended this universal healthcare.
The PSOE reforms of 2018 sought to renew this universal nature of the healthcare system, but the truth is that even today, there are numerous cases of exclusion. The Government’s recent pledge to remedy these failings by means of a new law is promising, but it has been delayed for far too long.
The situation needs to change now. Universal Health Coverage has been shown to improve the health of the population, to be a key factor in economic growth and redistribution, and in social cohesion. Additionally, it is part of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and a cornerstone of international policy.
These aspects -which pave the road to Universal Healthcare- are part of the conclusions and recommendations of “Nobody is safe till the whole world is safe”, the new REDER report (a network that defends universal access to healthcare, of which Salud por Derecho is a member) that we present today. We hope you find it interesting.