Mass Resignations: Doctors Protest at Paraguay's Itauguá National Hospital

Doctors at Paraguay's Itauguá National Hospital protested as specialists in pediatric surgery, pediatric intensive care and other fields submitted mass resignations from the public health system.

The resignations followed a weeklong nationwide strike by public-sector doctors. They say their salaries have remained unchanged since 2012 and are seeking an increase from 5 million to 8 million guaraníes. They also say shortages of medicines and supplies prevent them from providing adequate care.

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We are not even receiving a proposal for how to improve the situation. This is a system that has been broken for quite some time.

The government failed to reach an agreement with the doctors the previous week. At Itauguá, a meeting with hospital medical and general administrators was expected to communicate how many specialists from the hospital would resign.

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We are talking about lives. We are asking for supplies, better working conditions and dignity for ourselves and for patients.

Doctor Milena Cuevas said the system had been broken for a long time and that workers had received no plan for improving it. Doctors are also demanding more secure employment for thousands working under temporary contracts, as well as double pay for work on Sundays and public holidays.

“We are talking about lives. We are asking for supplies, better working conditions and dignity for ourselves and for patients,” Cuevas told ABC Color. She rejected the idea that the doctors were seeking special treatment, saying they wanted to recover purchasing power lost since 2012. She added that some specialists who had trained for 12 to 15 years were earning the same as before.

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We are not asking for privileges, as many people say. We are asking to recover the purchasing power lost since 2012.