Spanish public health workers hold protest

MADRID -- Several thousand Spanish public health workers marched from four main hospitals to converge on a main square in Madrid Sunday, protesting the regional government's plans to restructure and part-privatize the sector.

The marches by doctors, nurses and public health users, described as a "white tide" because of the color of medical scrubs, met in midafternoon in Puerta del Sol. On Monday, the region's health councilor will meet with a committee responsible for coordinating professional services and union representatives to try to agree how to achieve $697 million in savings.

"Our health care system is going to be damaged," said Alberto Garcia, 26. "Patients are doomed to get a much worse service and this will just make us poorer."

Madrid proposes selling off the management of six of 20 large public hospitals and 27 of 268 health centers. Spain's regions are struggling with debt. -- AP