“I’m fine, and I like rural medicine. Obviously, if you’re disappointed, you won’t continue.”

Andrés Olero from Zaragoza has been working as a family physician for more than four decades, mostly in rural areas. It started in August 1978 He bid him farewell with a night watch the day before his birthday, just over three months ago, at his final destination, Alagon, where he remained for the next 25 years. Before that, it passed through Navardin and Palopar. I was saying goodbye to an intense career He decided to extend it to 70 years.

He exemplifies the dedication of physicians past retirement age: “I was healthy and I loved rural medicine because, obviously, if you’re disappointed, you leave it.” As he points out: “You have to Always keep the levelRenewing training with courses, meetings and readings, without neglecting the human aspect and empathy with patients.

Moreover, the lack of doctors is one of the reasons that prompted him to decide to continue working year after year: “It is a problem we suffer from.” “that it Professional work“, he admits. Although he realizes that he is not attractive, he encourages young doctors to dedicate themselves to rural medicine, where “you have to work to change many things”. His years of experience allow him to get an overview of how care in Aragon “we must Modify the health map, which is outdated, given the dispersal that exists in the community, which makes attendance difficult. And also eliminate bureaucracy.”