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🇵🇾 Paraguay /Health & Science

Doctors reject government offer unanimously and threaten new nationwide strike

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • The National Medical Union rejected the government’s proposed salary adjustment and holiday-duty payment plan.
  • Doctors said the offer was insufficient and demanded double pay for work on public holidays.
  • The union is considering another general strike after a five-day walkout halted services in clinics and operating rooms across Paraguay.

Paraguayan doctors have unanimously rejected the government’s salary proposal, dismissing it as insufficient after five days of nationwide strike action disrupted clinics and operating rooms.

The decision came at a large and heated general meeting of the National Medical Union, known as Sinamed. Members rejected an executive-branch salary scale based on seniority, despite the government’s proposal to increase funding for medical supplies in the 2027 national budget.

The offer included an initial increase of 900,000 guaraníes for doctors with up to five years of service, per 12-hour contract. The amount combined a 400,000-guaraníes increase in base pay with a 500,000-guaraníes bonus, with larger increases proposed for more experienced doctors.

Doctors also rejected a Health Ministry proposal to set holiday-duty pay at a fixed 1 million guaraníes. Led by union secretary-general Rossana González, the assembly demanded strict enforcement of the law and double pay for work performed on public holidays.

Marcelo Galli criticised what he described as a lack of political will to prioritise public health. He said doctors were seeking $120 million to begin establishing a basic living wage, while government budgets still provided money for political bonuses, VIP insurance, travel and barbecues. The union continues to press for a new general strike.

We have never been this badly treated by an arbitrary and authoritarian government. We are seeking $120 million to begin providing a decent basic salary, and they deny it while there is money for bonuses for nepotism beneficiaries, VIP insurance, travel and barbecues.

· Marcelo GalliGalli criticised the government’s spending priorities during the union meeting.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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