Madrid leader under fire after documentary on nursing home deaths in pandemic

By David Latona

MADRID (Reuters) -A documentary on the deaths of thousands of elderly nursing home residents denied hospital care in Spain's Madrid region during the COVID-19 pandemic prompted calls on Friday for the president of the region to resign over her handling of the crisis.

Conservative firebrand Isabel Diaz Ayuso, a senior figure in the country's opposition People's Party, won global fame for keeping Madrid's vibrant bars and restaurants open during the pandemic, protecting the hospitality industry.

But in March 2020, the region decided not to give hospital treatment to seniors at care homes with severe illnesses or disabilities in order to limit transfers to hospitals that were nearing collapse. The decision became known as the "protocols of shame".

Nursing home residents with private health insurance did get hospital treatment, as did those who did not meet exclusion criteria such as limited mobility or impaired cognition.

The European Committee of the Regions has estimated that Madrid had the highest excess mortality of any European region during the pandemic, at around 44% above the average.

The independent film "7,291", aired by state broadcaster TVE late on Thursday, refers to the commonly accepted death toll related to the protocols, based on the region's own data.

"Society needs to know what happened so that it doesn't repeat itself," the documentary's director, Juanjo Castro, told Reuters. "Our elderly didn't deserve this, and I hope this project will stir consciences."

Nearly 3 million unique viewers watched the film that aired well past midnight, according to consultancy Barlovento.

Afterwards, Transport Minister Oscar Puente described the events as a "gerontocaust" on X, where a hashtag calling on Ayuso to resign was the main trending topic.

Ayuso has called the 7,291 figure "an invention" used by "the left and far left to agitate".

Her administration has said the actual figure of those who died at nursing homes with a COVID diagnosis between March and April 2020 was 4,100, although tests were not widely available during the pandemic's first wave.

Officials also complained about the decision by state TV to focus on Madrid instead of other regions.

Relatives of 115 nursing home residents who died launched a collective lawsuit in October 2024 accusing regional authorities of denying healthcare on discriminatory grounds. Prosecutors have yet to decide whether to bring them before courts.

Most of an earlier 300 lawsuits by relatives of the diseased have been dismissed and an inquiry in the regional assembly was shut down in July 2021.

Ayuso defended her decision to prioritise reopening businesses and criticised the more restrictive approach by the central government of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in a video message on Wednesday, five years on from the pandemic.

Ayuso, who has headed Spain's capital region since 2019, has a full majority in the regional assembly and does not face reelection until 2027.

(Reporting by David Latona; Editing by Philippa Fletcher)