The Hospital Universitario de Torrejón de Ardoz, under the management of the private company Ribera Salud, has submitted a formal request to the Community of Madrid to not admit first-year resident doctors (MIR) starting from the 2027 training year. This request has ignited a new point of contention within the region's public-private healthcare management model.
Technical discussions are underway between the hospital complex's management and the Ministry of Health to address this claim, though no definitive resolution has been reached. Ribera Salud justifies its demand by citing internal organizational challenges that require priority attention to ensure the sustainability of ordinary healthcare services. The company has clarified that this measure would only affect future applicants and would not impact the 90 residents currently pursuing their specialization at the center.
Conversely, the Ministry of Health, led by Fátima Matute, maintains a firm stance against the concessionaire's demands. The department formally urges Ribera Salud to guarantee the continuation of specialized medical training, reminding them of their obligation to strictly adhere to the terms and teaching conditions established in the management contract. It is noteworthy that the Hospital de Torrejón has held accreditation from the Ministry of Health since 2017 and has trained over a hundred physicians.
“"The salaries of residents represent an annual cost of between five and six million euros that the company needs to eliminate from its accounting balances."
The proposal to exclude new MIR residents, initially reported by El País, has reopened the debate regarding the financial viability of the concession in the eastern part of the region. This request coincides with the leak of an audio recording from September in which the CEO of Ribera Salud, Pablo Gallart, informed staff that resident salaries amount to an annual cost of five to six million euros that the company needs to remove from its financial statements. In the recording, the executive linked the necessity of cutting these budgetary items and adjusting the medical care portfolio to the objective of reversing the hospital subsidiary's deficit figures.
Trade unions and public healthcare advocacy groups have expressed concern over what they consider an attempt to commercialize medical training and reduce the quality of healthcare coverage for citizens in the Torrejón de Ardoz area.
