Health crisis deepens as more than 200 anesthesiologists resign in Paraguay

More than 200 anesthesiologists have formally submitted their resignations to Paraguay’s Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare, in a move that threatens to paralyze operating rooms and emergency services at major hospitals.

The resignations affect between 70% and 80% of anesthesiologists nationwide, representing between 330 and 350 public-sector employment links. The action covers hospitals in the capital and referral centers in the country’s interior, including the Hospital de Trauma, Hospital Nacional de Itauguá, Ineram, the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Luque General Hospital and the Acosta Ñu Pediatric Hospital.

Regional hospitals in Encarnación, Ciudad del Este, Coronel Oviedo, Villarrica and Salto del Guairá are also affected. At Encarnación Hospital, only three of the 19 anesthesia professionals remain on duty, making even regular emergency coverage unworkable.

The doctors say their protest goes beyond the government’s proposal to equalize the status of contracted workers or offer permanent appointments. They point to a chronic shortage of basic supplies, including endotracheal tubes and inotropic medicines, a problem that has continued for almost a year. They are also demanding solutions to unresolved pay claims.

“Without anesthesiologists, emergency or scheduled surgeries cannot be performed. Specialized diagnostic procedures such as endoscopies, colonoscopies or examinations requiring sedation are also affected, as is critical resuscitation support in intensive care units,” said Dr. Nélida Caballero, an anesthesiologist at Acosta Ñu Pediatric Hospital. She and her fellow pediatric surgeons had submitted their resignations days earlier.

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Without anesthesiologists, emergency or scheduled surgeries cannot be performed. Specialized diagnostic procedures such as endoscopies, colonoscopies or examinations requiring sedation are also affected, as is critical resuscitation support in intensive care units.