Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic, Fernando Simón, former director of Spain's Health Emergency Coordination Center, reflected on the crisis in an interview with Jordi Évole.

The discussion revisited the controversial "protocols of shame" in Madrid's care homes, which allegedly led to thousands of elderly deaths by denying hospital transfers.

Simón emphasized the need for accountability from decision-makers.

The program also featured testimonies from affected families, sparking a heated exchange between Évole and Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, chief of staff to Madrid's president.

Rodríguez questioned the credibility of the families' accounts, prompting backlash from journalists and officials who defended the testimonies.

The debate highlights lingering tensions over pandemic management and its human toll.