Doctors' Union Leader Retorts to Government Attacks Amid Strike

Rossana González, the general secretary of Paraguay's National Doctors' Union (Sinamed), is facing a barrage of attacks from the Ministry of Health and pro-government social media accounts. These criticisms target her leadership of the ongoing national doctors' strike and even question her interactions with politicians. González has pushed back against these attacks, asserting that her meetings with figures like senators Esperanza Martínez and Desirée Masi, as well as ruling party members Raúl Latorre and Basilio Núñez, do not alter the fundamental reason for the strike: doctors' widespread dissatisfaction with their current compensation. "We were very intimidated by different hospital directorates saying we couldn't go on strike, but we took that risk. We are not afraid to express our disagreement," González stated, emphasizing the union's unity. The attacks have extended beyond social media, with Deputy Health Minister Saúl Recalde accusing González of using a "script" to criticize the government and labeling her a "leftist." González, who denies belonging to any political party, dismissed these accusations as attempts to spread misinformation. She also questioned the logic of attributing the strike to political motives, asking if the thousands of doctors who participated in protests were all "leftists." Responding to Recalde's suggestion that doctors were being manipulated, she stated, "How can it be a script by Rossana González? Please, do you think 5,000 doctors would follow someone's script? No, there is a common medical sentiment here: there is disagreement, we are not satisfied with salaries." The union leader also noted that her monthly salary of G. 25,498,874, which has been publicized to discredit her, is public information and not illegal.

“

We were very intimidated by different hospital directorates saying we couldn't go on strike, but we took that risk. We are not afraid to express our disagreement.