Seven Years of Ayuso: Neoliberal Policies, Hospital Zendal Controversy and Ongoing Legislative Battles

According to political analyst Carmen Lumbierres, Isabel Díaz Ayuso has steered Madrid toward a pure American-style neoliberal agenda, echoing policies first introduced by Esperanza Aguirre. The flagship Hospital Zendal, opened during the pandemic, is portrayed by critics as under-staffed and financially opaque, while payments to private provider Quirón have risen sharply under her solo government. Ayuso’s agenda also features the Ciudad de la Salud project to remodel Hospital Universitario La Paz and ambitious metro extensions, including line 11 and a new circular line.

In a recent regional debate she announced a 100-point plan that seeks to abolish mandatory 24-hour on-call shifts, raise health-worker wages, and expand prenatal screening. The PP celebrates these moves as evidence of Madrid’s economic dynamism, whereas opposition parties and left-wing groups denounce the legislation as ideologically driven, citing the repeal of trans and LGTBI laws and the controversial “Law of the Conceived Unborn.”