Doctors’ resignations will continue to rise, Paraguayan physicians warn

Paraguayan doctors warn that resignations from the public health system will continue to grow as their dispute with the government remains unresolved. A total of 270 physicians have formally submitted resignations through the Health Ministry’s registry, protesting long-standing pay demands and insecure working conditions.

The figure was highlighted by Waldemar Argüello, a pediatric surgeon, and Denise Duarte, a pediatric neonatologist, both representatives of the Paraguayan Society of Pediatrics. Argüello said the official number may represent only the visible part of the crisis because some directors allegedly put resignation documents aside rather than process them.

“Many colleagues submit their resignations to Human Resources, and the directors take them and put them in a drawer. That is why the figure of 270 doctors appears today, but the truth is that there are many more. We believe the number is approximately double, and more will come,” Argüello said.

Duarte described the same practice in hospitals, saying directors fear being left without professionals in sensitive departments. She said she had never witnessed a similar situation in her 20-year career and added that all neonatology specialists had resigned simultaneously.

Argüello said the immediate turning point came after what doctors viewed as dismissive responses from Health Minister María Teresa Barán and President Santiago Peña. The National Medical Union’s four demands are a minimum salary of 8 million guaraníes, an end to precarious employment, double pay for work on public holidays, and supplies of medicines and medical materials.

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Many colleagues submit their resignations to Human Resources, and the directors take them and put them in a drawer. That is why the figure of 270 doctors appears today, but the truth is that there are many more. We believe the number is approximately double, and more will come.