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IPS: Medical Association to Meet Fretes, Hopes to Unblock Contract Crisis
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Health & Science

IPS: Medical Association to Meet Fretes, Hopes to Unblock Contract Crisis

From ABC Color · (11m ago) Spanish Critical tone

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • The Medical Association of the Social Security Institute (IPS) will meet with its president, Isaías Fretes, to address a critical shortage of defined contracts for doctors.
  • Around 200 resident doctors risk losing accumulated work seniority if their contracts are not formalized soon, as they are currently working ad honorem.
  • The association contrasts the current dialogue with the previous administration, led by Jorge Brítez, which they claim was unresponsive to their concerns.

A crucial meeting is set to take place between the Medical Association of the Social Security Institute (IPS) and its president, Isaías Fretes, aiming to resolve a crisis surrounding the contracts of approximately 200 resident doctors. These medical professionals, who have completed their specialization within the IPS, are currently working without formal contracts, some even on a voluntary basis (ad honorem).

We can't be worse off at IPS, we have to be better, as Santiago Peña says, we want to be better like him and like the workers of Yacyretá; that's how far we want to go. May they respect our work.

— Karina FernándezExpressing the desire for improved working conditions and respect for medical professionals at IPS.

The primary concern, as highlighted by Dr. Karina Fernández, president of the Medical Association, is the potential loss of accumulated work seniority for these doctors. If their contracts are not formalized within three months, they risk having to restart their professional records from scratch. This situation is deemed detrimental not only to the doctors but also to the IPS and, ultimately, to the insured patients who rely on their services.

Dr. Fernández emphasized a significant difference in approach compared to the previous administration under Jorge Brítez. She stated that while multiple formal requests went unanswered during Brítez's tenure, the current leadership under Fretes has shown a willingness to engage, even responding to communications late into the night. This open dialogue is seen as a positive step towards resolving the contract issues.

We cannot be worse off.

— Karina FernándezDescribing the critical situation regarding doctors' contracts at IPS.

Beyond the immediate contract concerns, the association also plans to discuss long-term issues such as uncompetitive working conditions compared to other institutions like the Ministry of Public Health. The overarching sentiment, as expressed by Dr. Fernández, is a desire for improvement, echoing President Santiago Peña's call to "be better." From our perspective at ABC Color, this situation reflects the ongoing challenges in ensuring stable and fair employment for medical professionals in Paraguay's public health sector, and the importance of responsive leadership in addressing these critical issues.

We must not lose the contracts of these young people; it is not convenient for IPS and ultimately the insured person will lose.

— Karina FernándezHighlighting the negative consequences of not formalizing contracts for resident doctors.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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