It is a shame that the Minister of Health launched, in the middle of the flu peak but without counting up to ten, the proposal that Spaniards who are unwell due to a mild illness assign themselves a three-day sick leave. Mónica García jumped onto the field without putting on her boots first. What came twenty-four hours later was that employers and unions agreed – something newsworthy, by the way – against the measure. The debate languished in this way without having barely begun. The initiative did have the support of family doctors, who have been considering it for years as another option to reduce the bureaucratic work that stifles them. The self-discharge has also caused division between ministries, since it has a difficult legal framework that cannot be left to improvisation.

The new head of Health is not undocumented. She graduated in Medicine and Surgery from the Complutense University and specialized in anesthesiology. She knows the system well, from the inside, and has been at the forefront defending workers’ rights. She knows what she is talking about when she refers to the stress experienced in outpatient clinics. However, she was wrong to bring up the idea bareback. Without prior specification or negotiation with the social agents, she invited her decision to be interpreted as a patch on the primary traffic jam or even as another occurrence in the disputed genre of demagoguery. It is evident that the solution to queues at clinics is to strengthen the workforce and speed up care for the sick, and not to throw the problem at the citizens and companies. The question remains as to why the administration does not resort more to mutual insurance companies or private healthcare to process sick leave.

There is data to argue for and against the so-called self-responsible declaration. What there is not is a roadmap on how it would be done, that fine print that in the end gives the measure (and viability) of things. The medical community estimates that self-discharge would save 20% of consultations for minor conditions. Unions fear dismissals due to unclear justifications. And the businessmen come to remind us that this is the Spain of roguery and fraud. What better, they think, than a self-sick leave to avoid going to work, especially if the collective agreement provides for one hundred percent of the month’s remuneration even with those three days of sick leave.

It was apparent that the express proposal, thus formulated by the minister, would have less future than Tarzan’s tailor. On the third day, Mónica García had no choice but to clear the ball that was coming back to her: “We have to study it calmly.” In other words, the matter is shelved.