The Juzgado de Instrucción number three in Madrid has summoned Doctor Antonio Burgueño, the author of the government’s ‘shock plan,’ to testify regarding the tragic deaths of elderly residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. The hearing will take place next Monday, with Burgueño appearing alongside Carlos Mur and Francisco Javier Martínez Peromingo, both former senior officials of the Madrid government. They are considered responsible for protocols that hindered the transfer of elderly patients from nursing homes to hospitals during the critical period of March to April 2020.

This investigation was reopened on the first of April at the request of the Provincial Public Prosecutor’s Office, following a collective complaint from one hundred and nine families of victims coordinated by advocacy groups Marea de Residencias and 7291: Verdad y Justicia. The complaint, which dates back to October of last year, asserts that seven thousand two hundred and ninety-one individuals died in Madrid nursing homes without being transferred to hospitals.

The allegations focus on a potential violation of Article five hundred eleven of the Spanish Criminal Code, concerning the discriminatory denial of healthcare assistance. The culmination of these events has coincided with a call for action, as Marea de Residencias, 7291: Verdad y Justicia, and the Pladigmare platform have organised a demonstration outside the Plaza de Castilla courts, demanding truth, justice, and reparation for the victims and their families.

As the investigation proceeds, it shines a light on the dark chapter of nursing home management during the pandemic and the accountability of those in positions of authority at that time.