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Paraguay government urges doctors to negotiate and rules out immediate pay rise
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Health & Science

Paraguay government urges doctors to negotiate and rules out immediate pay rise

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News From a news agency Ongoing story
  • Paraguay’s government rejected an immediate increase sought by public-sector doctors after a five-day strike and threats of mass resignations.
  • Officials proposed developing a medical career system that would link pay increases to academic qualifications and merit.
  • The government plans to ask Congress to raise health spending by 52% in the 2027 budget, from $500 million to $760 million, partly to fund medicines and supplies.

Paraguay’s government is asking striking public-sector doctors to return to negotiations, but it is not prepared to grant their requested pay increase immediately. Health Minister María Teresa Barán said officials had not reached agreement on an increase of 3 million guaraníes, about $508, per contract.

Instead, the government wants to build a formal medical career system that would set salaries according to academic qualifications and professional merit. Chief of Cabinet Javier Giménez urged doctors belonging to the National Medical Union, or Sinamed, to return to the negotiating table and help create a plan that would "pay tribute" to the profession.

We did not reach an agreement on this request for an increase of 3 million guaraníes per contract.

— María Teresa BaránThe health minister described the government’s position on the doctors’ pay demand.

About 11,000 doctors in Paraguay’s public system staged a five-day strike last week. Their demands included higher salaries, medicines and supplies for hospitals, permanent appointments for about 9,000 temporary professionals, and other labor benefits. The government had earlier said it could not finance the 76% adjustment sought by the doctors.

Sit down at the table to dialogue.

— Javier GiménezThe chief of the presidential cabinet urged doctors to resume negotiations.

Economy Minister Óscar Lovera said the executive would propose increasing health-sector spending by 52% in the 2027 budget, from $500 million to $760 million. He said the additional funds would address debt and strengthen the Health Ministry’s management, including financing medicines and supplies.

The dispute intensified after Sinamed announced mass resignations among public-sector doctors. Barán said her ministry had received 61 resignations on Monday. The government’s position combines a refusal of an immediate broad pay adjustment with a promise of greater health spending and a longer-term salary structure.

The increase is linked to dealing with debts and strengthening the management process of the Ministry of Health.

— Óscar LoveraThe economy minister explained the proposed increase in health spending.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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