CSIF denounces the insurers before the Ombudsman for canceling medical appointments for Muface officials

The crisis in the Muface tender, which is heading to the second process after the insurers rejected the Government’s first offer, seems to be already being noticed in the attention to mutual members. At least, this is what the Independent Trade Union and Civil Servants Central (CSIF) has conveyed this Monday to the Ombudsman, to whom it has exposed the “multitude of complaints” from officials who opt for private healthcare through this system and who would be suffering from delays and suspensions of medical appointments and interventions.

In the letter, the national president of the union, Miguel Borra, requests a meeting with Ángel Gabilondo to convey to him “the serious existing problems and the numerous complaints and incidents” that “the workers assigned to Muface are reporting.” These, CSIF points out, affect all types of tests, consultations and specialists, such as pediatric neurology, urology, digestive, cardiology, traumatology, psychiatry or gynecology, among others, and many of them come from “people who suffer from some type of disease.” chronic or of certain severity.” Furthermore, they indicate that the clinics themselves are asking the insured to pay the cost of care themselves.

“CSIF is not going to allow these cuts, nor for civil servants to have to pay out of pocket for a right such as health care, the Government must correct this situation,” the secretary of union action, Francisco Lama, told the media. The agreement with the insurers, Adeslas, Asisa and DKV ends on January 31, but the Executive is under the command of a forced extension, in case an agreement is not reached that will satisfy private companies to so.

The sector denies that appointments or interventions are being canceled before the end of the contract. “As the agreement currently in force ends on December 31 and the deadline to cover medical benefits ends on January 31, appointments are not authorized beyond that date. The only exception is serious illnesses and pregnancies, which are attended to until March 31,” DKV indicates. “We continue to pay attention to all mutual members according to the conditions established by the agreement,” Adelas and Asisa agree.

Despite this refusal, CSIF has notified several cases of attention that are occurring at this time. From a baby less than a year old who “has had a consultation with a pediatric neurologist that he was supposed to have this week postponed to several months”—and who was told that “they will visit him or not depending on what happens with the mutual benefit”— even a breast ultrasound guided by a lump in a patient’s chest or a doctor’s office that “is suppressing doctor positions.” “It’s a real disaster,” says one beneficiary.

The union of civil servants has conveyed to the Ombudsman its “concern about the situation of insecurity and alarm in which mutual members and beneficiaries find themselves, since their right to health protection and medical assistance in the legally established conditions.” The Minister of Public Function, Óscar López, insisted this Monday on the “message of tranquility” that they will be guaranteed assistance. “They are covered, they will continue to be covered, we are going to prepare a new tender and, therefore, everything will continue as normal,” he said in an interview on TVE.

Last Wednesday, the Government closed the period of preliminary consultations to find out how much companies in the sector would be willing to provide health care to officials. Adeslas, Asisa and DKV presented their offers and are now waiting for the entity’s report and the bidding for the new competition, after rejecting a premium with an increase of 17% accumulated for the years 2025 and 2026.

In this context, the unions are preparing a hot week, with protests called by UGT, CCOO, ANPE, Adide, USIE, UFP, SUP, Acaip and SIAT for this Wednesday before the mutual society’s delegations in the regional capitals. And, for Saturday, CSIF is preparing a “great mobilization”, with buses that arrived in Madrid from various parts of the country to complain to the General Directorate of Muface in defense of this system.

From CCOO and Ugt they had already accused the “insatiable insurers” of wanting to “increase their economic benefits at the expense of the State” and of “risk selection”, referring “the most serious and expensive cases to attend to public health, putting “the health of mutual members and beneficiaries is at risk.” Something that is also shared by the Ministry of Health, which in a report on the impact of incorporating one million mutual members into the public system to which elDiario.es had access several weeks ago indicated that this would be “both a viable and reasonable option.”