Health crisis deepens as medical societies in the region back Paraguayan surgeons

The crisis in Paraguay’s public health system has crossed the country’s borders. Medical societies from Uruguay, Mexico and Argentina have issued statements of solidarity with Paraguayan surgeons and pediatric specialists confronting the government of Santiago Peña.

The support comes as 270 resignations have been formally submitted to the Ministry of Public Health. The total includes the departure of 40 pediatric surgeons and 70 pediatric intensive-care specialists, equivalent to 74% of all pediatric intensivists in Paraguay.

The mass resignations are hitting high-complexity facilities including Acosta Ñu Pediatric Hospital, the Trauma Hospital and Itauguá National Hospital. Surgical and intensive-care treatment for nearly three million Paraguayan children and adolescents is at risk.

The Uruguayan Society of Pediatric Surgery cited the 2001 Kyoto Declaration, saying children require doctors with extended specialist training. It warned that using professionals without the necessary qualifications to fill vacancies would compromise patient safety and represent a serious ethical breach.

The Mexican College of Pediatric Surgery called the resignations a dangerous setback for care of the most vulnerable. It urged Paraguayan authorities to act transparently, provide basic supplies and offer working conditions suited to the responsibility of the specialty. Argentina’s Civil Association of Pediatric Surgery said the doctors’ struggle went beyond salaries and sought to defend the sustainability of medical care.

The Paraguayan doctors had spent five days on a national strike demanding better pay and working conditions. The report says their resignations followed the labor action, as the dispute with the government continued.