Austerity Measures and Underfunding of the Spanish Health System during the COVID-19 Pandemic-Perception of Healthcare Staff in Spain

Insufficient pandemic preparedness and underfunding of human and economic resources have conditioned the response to COVID-19 in Spain. This underfunding has continued since the austerity measures introduced during the 2008 financial crisis. This study aims to understand the perceptions of healthcar...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2023-01, Vol.20 (3), p.2594
Main Authors: Otero-García, Laura, Mateos, José Tomás, Esperato, Alexo, Llubes-Arrià, Laia, Regulez-Campo, Vanesa, Muntaner, Carles, Legido-Quigley, Helena
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Austerity policy
Content analysis
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
COVID-19 - epidemiology
Delivery of Health Care
Economic crisis
Health care
Health services
Humans
Interviews
Medical research
Pandemics
Perception
Perceptions
Primary care
Professional ethics
Professionals
Public health
Qualitative research
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Spain - epidemiology
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Summary:Insufficient pandemic preparedness and underfunding of human and economic resources have conditioned the response to COVID-19 in Spain. This underfunding has continued since the austerity measures introduced during the 2008 financial crisis. This study aims to understand the perceptions of healthcare staff in Spain on the relationship between the funding of the health system and its capacity to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, we carried out a thematic content analysis, based on 79 online semi-structured interviews with healthcare staff across the regions most affected by the COVID-19 first wave. Participants reported a lack of material resources, which had compromised the capacity of the health system before the pandemic. The lack of human resources was to be addressed by staff reorganisation, such as reinforcing hospital units to the detriment of primary health care. Staff shortages continued straining the COVID-19 response, even after material scarcities were later partially alleviated. Personnel shortages need to be adequately addressed in order to adequately respond to future health crises.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph20032594