Hospital Crisis: 446 Doctors and Anesthesiologists Confirm Resignations

The resignations of 446 health professionals have pushed Paraguay’s public hospitals toward a crisis, with doctors warning that shortages of anesthesiologists could halt essential care.

The Health Ministry, led by María Teresa Barán, confirmed that the professionals had submitted their resignations individually through the ministry’s registry. The announcement followed warnings by doctors in interviews with ABC Color that mass resignations were coming.

A group of 197 anesthesiologists went to the ministry on Monday morning to submit their resignations. At least 10 more anesthesiologists have said they will join the action, according to the report. The professional association said the measure affects between 70% and 80% of anesthesiologists nationwide and directly covers 326 public-sector employment ties.

Nélida Caballero, an anesthesiologist at the Acosta Ñu Pediatric Hospital, said the loss of specialists would immediately affect emergency and scheduled surgeries. It would also disrupt complex diagnostic procedures requiring sedation and critical resuscitation in intensive care units.

The impact extends across major hospitals in the capital and the interior, including the Trauma Hospital, the National Hospital of Itauguá, Ineram, the Institute of Tropical Medicine, the General Hospital of Luque, Acosta Ñu, San Pablo, San Jorge and regional hospitals in several departments. Medical unions say the action follows nearly a year of chronic shortages of basic resuscitation supplies and medicines, along with broader complaints about precarious working conditions.