Mass demonstration in Seville demands solution to Andalusian health service breast cancer screening crisis
The event on Sunday demonstrated the emotions of the attendees, who called for quality public healthcare and criticised the Andalusian government
Thousands of demonstrators gathered at the gates of the Palacio de San Telmo in Seville - the headquarters of the Andalusian government - on Sunday, 26 October, to protest against the breast cancer screening crisis and demand quality healthcare. The demonstration was called by Amama - the breast cancer association that first denounced the delays in diagnostic tests. According to official estimates from the central government's subdelegation, more than 8,500 people gathered on Sunday, although the Local Police lowered the number to 4,500 people.
The demonstration, under the slogan 'Nuestra vida no puede esperar' ('Our life cannot wait'), harshly criticised the regional government for the negligence that the women affected by the breast cancer screening failure had received. Many attendees could not hold back their tears.
Manifesto
Andalusian actress and cancer survivor Cristina Medina read the protest manifesto. She called for fair treatment of the women whose lives get destroyed by the disease. Medina warned that "this is the beginning of the fight" for women who are not looking for pity or survival - they want to live.
The scandal broke earlier this month when it was revealed that women with inconclusive mammogram results were not informed or called for more tests for several months.
Amama Seville president Ángela Claverol spoke after Medina. She denounced the lack of attention and care given by previous regional health ministers. Claverol highlighted Amama's support for the many women, who are now standing up against the regional government, over the last 20 years.
The most emotional moment of the protest came when Claverol introduced the women from the association who have been most affected by the crisis - women with metastatic cancer.
'Keep up the fight'
The president of Amama also denounced the condescension that women represented by the association experience and said: "Even if they discredit us, even if they slam us, we will keep up the fight."
The protest was supported by numerous groups and trade unions, including political representatives from left-wing PSOE, Por Andalucía, Adelante and Podemos. Irene Montero from Podemos demanded "justice in the face of [president of the regional government] Moreno Bonilla's death policies".
