Manuel Martínez-Sellés loses control of the Illustrious Official College of Physicians of Madrid, the body that brings together the more than 50,000 registered physicians in the region. The current president is below his opponents, among whom Tomás Merina, former manager of the Fuensanta private hospital in Ciudad Lineal, has emerged victorious. Martínez-Sellés took power at Icomem in 2020 and after unseating his more progressive predecessor. His was a more conservative option. Now, these results take it away from them. The other candidate, the nephrologist at the Puerta del Hierro public hospital in Majadahonda, Esther Rubio, came in second place. There have also been 21 blank responses and another 61 null. But this has been an election day in which almost no one knew what to expect.
With more participation than in the last elections and a total of 9,530 votes counted this Tuesday, Merina wins with 4,475 ballots followed by Rubio, who wins 2,580 supports. Then there is the president to date, who although he obtains 2,393 votes is below his two adversaries. Contrary to what is often said, this time the die was not cast. Manuel Martínez-Sellés had a difficult time, since he had been harshly criticized by both his opponents and unions or some members for alleged opacity in his financial accounts.
In fact, the person who was his vice president until a few days ago, Luisa González, resigned precisely due to an alleged “lack of transparency” in Martínez-Sellés’ monetary management. The College of Physicians responded shortly after to the accusations through a statement, in which they denied the claims of their former colleague and assured that they “were unfounded.” “From the beginning of this mandate, the vice president had full access to all the College’s documentation and accounts, on equal terms with the rest of the members of the Board of Directors,” they stated. Still, its president’s candidacy was inevitably damaged.
Martínez-Sellés is head of the Cardiology section at the Gregorio Marañón University Hospital and his opponents Merina and Rubio, former manager of the Fuensanta private hospital in Ciudad Lineal and nephrologist at the Puerta del Hierro public hospital, respectively. Tomás Merina was linked from the beginning to the Amyts union, the majority among doctors in Madrid, because after consulting its members they chose to support him publicly. The nephrologist in Majadahonda, on the other hand, was criticized for the fact that her team was born from a specific movement – that of the stabilization of interims – and does not have “a solid project” for all areas of Icomem.
They both tried to get rid of those stigmas and denied that they influenced them. During this last term there have been several developments, such as the reduction of the fee paid by members, who are required to register, or an ambitious reform of the entity’s facilities. Which entailed, in turn, a large investment. Each of the candidates had time to expand on their proposals, especially in the three-way debate held a week before the elections and in which reproaches were also dreamed of.
The scrutiny has been updated throughout the day via streamingand by late afternoon the die had been cast. The real-time results were broadcast through graphs that showed the percentage of votes at that moment in each hospital. Participation has increased compared to the last elections, in which Martínez-Sellés achieved victory against Miguel Ángel Sánchez Chillón, then president of Icomem. Clinicians in the region have been recording their votes, differentiated by each one of them.
Where have the referees voted?
There are 39 voting points spread throughout the Madrid map. The 12 de Octubre Hospital, the Niño Jesús Children’s Hospital, the Torrejón University Hospital, the HM Sanchinarro University Hospital, the Alcorcón Foundation University Hospital, the Gregorio Marañón General University Hospital, the Fuenlabrada University Hospital, the CEMTRO Clinic, the University Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Ruber Internacional Hospital, Puerta del Hierro University Hospital, Infanta Cristina University Hospital, Severo University Hospital Ochoa, the Clínica la Luz University Hospital or the HM Montepríncipe University Hospital are some of them.
But the list goes on and is extensive: you can also register your vote at the HM La Moncloa University Hospital, the Tajo University Hospital, the Gómez Ulla Central Defense Hospital, the La Paz University Hospital, the Rey Juan Carlos University Hospital, the University of Navarra Clinic, San Rafael University Hospital, SUMMA112, Viamed Santa Elena Hospital, Getafe University Hospital, La Princesa University Hospital, San Carlos Clinical Hospital, University Hospital Infanta Leonor, the Quirónsalud Madrid University Hospital, Ruben Juan Bravo Hospital, the Vithes la Milagrosa University Hospital, the Príncipe de Asturias University Hospital, the Sanithas La Zarzuela University Hospital, the Sanithas La Moraleja University Hospital or the Henares University Hospital. The rest of the options are Internet or in the collegiate venues such as the Great and Small Amphitheater or Aurora Jiménez Díaz. Finally, the referees have decided.
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