The Illustrious Official College of Physicians of Madrid (Icomem) has communicated that it will study in detail the order of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities that alters the regime of use of its historic headquarters at Calle Santa Isabel, 51, and that it will undertake the administrative and judicial actions it deems necessary as it understands that it reduces "substantially" the spaces available to the corporation.
According to the College, in a note, the order signed on July 27 by the Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant, renders the usage regime established in the agreement of February 23, 1970 ineffective and replaces it with a 25-year concession, limited only to a part of the property, which is state-owned and declared a Cultural Heritage Asset (BIC).
In this way, Icomem details that the resolution reconfigures the use of the historic headquarters, so that several spaces on the ground floor and in the basement become exclusively for the National Cajal Museum, such as the Santa Isabel lobby, the Cajal and Gregorio Marañón classrooms, the galleries, the Small Amphitheater, the Press Room, and various archives and storage rooms.
Likewise, it indicates that the Great Amphitheater, the Cajal Courtyard, and the main access will be subject to shared use, conditioned on the prior agreement of the National Cajal Museum, while the College will maintain the use of the Jiménez Díaz Classroom, the Lost Child Space, the second and third floors, and the attic, as well as the operation of the cafeteria, as stated in the order.
The College recalls that for more than fifty years it has assumed the management, conservation, and maintenance of the historic-artistic area of the building, intended for collegiate, training, and public interest activities, and emphasizes that in the last six years it has allocated nearly "11 million euros in infrastructure and equipment to modernize the headquarters."
In this line, it argues that the new usage regime "not only reduces the available spaces but also incorporates restrictions on the use of facilities, the need for prior authorization for certain works and activities, the assumption of expenses related to the granted spaces, and the possibility of extinguishing the concession for reasons of public interest, without compensation."
Support for the Ramón y Cajal Museum, but rejection of the impact on the corporation
The Icomem states that it supports the implementation and promotion of the National Museum Ramón y Cajal and the protection of the legacy of Santiago Ramón y Cajal, but rejects that this purpose is materialized through a decision that, in its view, undermines "the autonomy and the capacity for operation of the corporation."
Furthermore, the College points out that the temporal coincidence of this order with its critical stance towards the Framework Statute "generates a legitimate concern" and demands from the Ministry "an explanation about the procedure followed, the necessity and proportionality of the measure" and about the reasons why, it claims, "an agreement was not previously reached between both institutions."
In light of this scenario, the Board of Directors has decided to commission an urgent legal report on the order, request a meeting with the Ministry of Science, and convene an extraordinary General Assembly at the beginning of September to inform the members about the legal situation arising from this decision, the measures that are adopted, and their economic impact.
The Ministry rejects that it is an eviction
For its part, sources from the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities deny the interpretation of the Icomem and emphasize that the order "does not agree to the eviction" of the Official College of Physicians of Madrid "nor does it end its presence in the building on Santa Isabel street."
They explain that the resolution updates "the usage authorization granted more than fifty years ago, delineates the spaces that will correspond to the College and the future National Cajal Museum, and grants the Icomem a free public concession for a period of 25 years so that it can continue developing its institutional, collegiate, teaching, and continuing education activities."
"The order establishes shared use spaces, guarantees coordination mechanisms between both institutions through a Monitoring Commission, and expressly recognizes the public function that the College performs," they emphasize from the Department.
In this regard, they insist that the order "does not deprive" the College of its headquarters, but rather grants it free use of "a substantial part" of the property for 25 years. They stress that the College will be able to continue its work in the building, while reminding that the property belongs to the State and that the objective of the order is to "compatibilize the activity of the College with the establishment of the National Cajal Museum."
"The Order explains that the building has a direct historical link with Santiago Ramón y Cajal, there he taught for 30 years when the building was the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Madrid and goods of enormous historical value are preserved," they have justified.