Health conflict: Dialogue table proposed at Itauguá National Hospital

A proposed negotiating table at Itauguá National Hospital aims to turn doctors’ demands into a legislative package before Congress examines Paraguay’s national budget.

Central Governor Ricardo Estigarribia visited the hospital with Víctor Raúl Benítez, an economic adviser to the National Medical Union, Sinamed. Their meeting came amid an ongoing dispute between medical professionals and the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare.

The proposed talks would bring doctors, Sinamed and political representatives together to develop a joint initiative. Estigarribia said medical professionals needed to participate directly so they could agree with the project submitted to Congress.

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It is not only about solving the salary problem, but also infrastructure and medicines. People are waiting outdoors at this national referral hospital.

The governor said the dispute involved more than pay. “It is not only about solving the salary problem, but also infrastructure and medicines. People are waiting outdoors at this national referral hospital,” he said. He added that the group would need to identify funding sources while the budget is under consideration, with the aim of stabilizing the health system without putting public finances at risk.

Benítez also criticized what he described as unfulfilled government commitments to strengthen Itauguá National Hospital. He recalled that President Santiago Peña and First Lady Leticia Ocampos had announced improvements for the facility two years earlier, but said those measures had not yet been delivered. He said he had come to seek a concrete negotiating forum rather than simply repeat the hospital’s grievances.

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We are here to talk with them and try to present a joint proposal.