Lucía Armenteros (49 years old), Laura Orgaz (43 years old) and Antonio Pavón (38 years old) passed their TCAE exam (technician in nursing assistant care) five years ago in the disability quota, since they have different degrees of work limitations due to their respective illnesses.
Until this month of May, the Department of Health of the Community of Madrid has not awarded nursing and TCAE positions to more than 10,000 professionals who passed that exam and obtained a permanent job in public health by adding marks and merits in Madrid. There were also 676 places for people with certain degrees of disability, most of which have been covered. The three now have a fixed position when entering under this modality.
After years of waiting and working in other centers, and even in other cities, now Lucía, Laura and Antonio find themselves, upon accessing their permanent job, obtained with great effort and many hours of study, unable to carry out the tasks they they are entrusted by not adapting the job to their personal situation.
From the direction of the Gregorio Marañón Hospital they refer the Ministry of Health to explain the situation of these vulnerable people. After taking office, they now face their direct bosses and criticism from colleagues for not being able to carry out their work 100%.
Inmaculada Mármol, from the Mats union and health worker at the Puerta del Hierro Hospital, comments that "they are people with special needs, so their location within the organization of a hospital is not easy"; but she denounces that "after obtaining a permanent position, they have been told that if they cannot work like the others, they should take the leave or resign from the appointment."
In his opinion, "in other hospitals the admission of the disabled has worked better, but from the Gregorio Marañón Hospital, in Madrid, many complaints are coming to the unions."
From the union, Mármol defends, "we have requested that these professionals be located in units suitable for each type of disability. In addition, we are collecting signatures to make a collective complaint and providing coverage from legal counsel in case it is appropriate to make a complaint to inspection work," he says.
La Vanguardia tells the story of the struggle of each person affected.
Lucía Armenteros, with a disability of 33% and a disability of 55%, has worked as a nurse's assistant in Murcia and at the Getafe Hospital in Madrid. She has undergone 17 operations behind her to overcome metastasized cancer. "I have obtained a position as an assistant nurse in internal medicine at the Gregorio Marañón Hospital," she says, half happy, but that joy soon fades and turns into sadness: "In my medical aptitude report, it already says that I cannot spend nights , nor lift weights of more than 5 kilos... I also need certain breaks, I also have limitations with biological agents, I am immune depressed...", he explains.
Despite its limitations, the goal is clear: "I want to work." A few days after accessing the position, he comments that he was told by the occupational risk prevention department: "If you're not good enough for this, you're leaving." The problem, continues Armenteros, is that in this service "to lift the sick there is only a crane and a harness, if this last utensil is used by a patient in isolation, it can no longer be used with another person; and I have to call a colleague or attendant to help me move other patients". And, that, he points out, "causes me a lot of impotence."
In his opinion, the problem is "that there is a lack of technical means, personnel... regardless of my conditions". Many patients, he points out, "are dead weights and it is a problem to mobilize them to clean them."
When they see us in the corridor, Armenteros points out, some colleagues comment "the disabled ones are coming, the cripples... and those expressions are very sad." To which he adds: "I'm going to have to take a reduction in working hours... And with the little more than 1,000 euros that we charge for a full day, it's almost not enough to rent in Madrid." But what he is clear about is that "I can't spend nights because my body decompensates and I don't want to go through the operating room again."
Laura Orgaz, with a 33% disability, has also managed through the aforementioned opposition to obtain a permanent position as a nursing assistant at the Gregorio Marañón Hospital. Her multiple illnesses prevent her from carrying out certain jobs.
"I have worked in the neonatal unit at Hospital 12 de Octubre, for several years, with an adapted position," he highlights. And he points out: "I had requested to continue with my position there and the Madrid Health Service (Sermas) denied me." When taking her position, the supervisor snapped at her: "You are free to take the position", but she clarifies that "if she did not take it, she would lose a permanent job".
The problem, Orgaz emphasizes, is that "the job position is not suitable for me." The trigger is that he is already on medical leave. "I took the leave because I couldn't take it anymore psychologically, physically..., but I'm having a terrible time. I've only been working 15 days," he says.
"The colleagues complain about having to take over my nights. I don't like to create these conflicts, but they should have adapted the jobs before taking office," he insists.
Antonio Pavón, has a mental and physical disability of 70%. They have awarded him his place in the disabled quota in the internal medicine unit of the Santa Cristina Hospital, which belongs to the Gregorio Marañón, after passing his exam and reaching the necessary grade to get a permanent job. "They have even told me to live on a non-contributory pension or to look for work at La Once," he says indignantly.
Since 2009, Pavón has worked in different hospitals, such as Carlos III, 12 de Octubre or Gregorio Marañón himself with very short contracts. "They almost never renewed me," he admits.
"When I took my place, from the nursing sub-directorate they told me: You have to have a very good behavior because they remembered that in 2009 I had a temporary contract," he recalls.
Pavón is already on leave "because they have not adapted the position to my needs," he stresses. Due to her various illnesses, "I cannot carry sick people and they have not adapted my new job position to my difficulties," she says.
