Netflix’s new Spanish-language medical drama titled Breathless or Respira revolves around the lives of doctors and patients at the Joaquín Sorolla Public Hospital in Valencia. While the Spanish word Respira loosely translates to breathing and the two titles appear to be juxtaposing one another, both hold equal significance and do justice to the storyline.
While Breathless is an adjective used to describe the dire situation of the overworked and understaffed hospital, Respira is almost a command for them to breathe. A common complaint posed by the doctors as well as the interns is about their long working hours and not enough time to rest.
All the staff is at the hospital at almost all times, and very little attention is paid to their domestic or personal lives. Whatever personal life they have overlaps with their professional career in one way or another.
It is because of this problem of understaffing that interns are left to do important tasks such as performing intense surgeries or looking after patients with diseases they know nothing about. This same issue led to the eventual suicide of Rodrigo, who was left alone in the operation theatre and became the reason a little girl’s surgery went south.
Unable to live with the guilt he jumped off the balcony, highlighting the pitiful state of the system. Upon his death, neither does his sister Dr Jéssica Donoso nor do his friends, Biel, Enrique and May get enough time to mourn as they go straight back to work. A pregnant May, hours after a laborious C-section goes on to help the other doctors during the blackout.
The strike, led by Dr Néstor Moa and the team is held for the same reason. With the state of public healthcare in shambles, the doctors and interns realise that only an indefinite strike, with no minimum services, can catch the attention of the policy-makers. As soon as they go on strike, policies are reverted and decisions are revised by the health minister until they are refuted by the president, proving once again, the neglect that the public healthcare system undergoes.
Ending: Respira (Breathless) Ending Explained – Netflix
The overwhelmed and understaffed hospital is also unequipped to deal with the large number of victims that float in once a calamity occurs. Food poisoning patients from the fare, burn victims from the prison fire and even casualties from the storm swamp the hospital hallways as patients are treated in the hallways without suitable infrastructure or adequate supervision. The heavy rains cause roofs to leak and generators to stop functioning, showcasing the alarming state of the public healthcare system in Valencia.
Therefore, not only are the patients of the hospital breathless, but also the doctors treating them. These overworked doctors and interns are breathless from the 24×7 shifts, little to no rest and substandard infrastructure. But, they continue to fight for their rights as well as for the lives of their patients, working day and night saving lives.
Come to think of it, even the viewers are breathless, sitting at the edge of their seats as they see the introduction of yet another victim, with his fate left in the hands of gifted professionals plagued by grim situations.
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