Health crisis: Doctors propose another strike and warn resignations cannot be replaced

Paraguayan doctors are considering another strike because talks with the government have not produced written guarantees. Rosanna González, secretary general of the National Medical Union, said she would recommend a one-day walkout to the union assembly.

González said the limited action would aim to avoid harming the public. “I will recommend taking action, another strike. I will propose one day of strike action. Why one day? Because we do not want to clash with the public, we do not want to harm the public. People are not our target,” she said.

The union had meetings scheduled with Asunción Archbishop Adalberto Martínez Flores and Health Minister María Teresa Barán. González was due to meet the archbishop at 9 a.m. and the minister at 10 a.m., seeking a formal government offer that could halt further mobilization.

The main dispute concerns the lack of legally binding documents. Doctors say the government has announced budget allocations and progress through the media, but has not provided the written support they are seeking. Their demands include an increase in the base salary for medical professionals, clearer budgets for supplies and concrete answers on staff appointments.

The discussions follow growing tension between the medical sector and President Santiago Peña’s government over pay and working conditions. The union has also highlighted mass resignations, warning that the departing doctors cannot easily be replaced.

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I will recommend taking action, another strike. I will propose one day of strike action. Why one day? Because we do not want to clash with the public, we do not want to harm the public. People are not our target.