Paraguayan Doctors Strike Demanding Better Pay and Conditions; Minister Unresponsive

Paraguayan doctors initiated a national strike on Monday, which is currently scheduled to last until Friday. The healthcare workers are demanding a salary adjustment after their pay has been frozen since 2012. They also seek to address the critical shortage of medical supplies and medications in hospitals and call for the regularization of thousands of contracted doctors.

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We are not thugs.

Shirley Ferreira, a member of the National Doctors' Union (Sinamed) executive board, expressed disappointment that Health Minister María Teresa Barán has not engaged in dialogue. "We are not thugs," Ferreira stated, lamenting the lack of engagement from the ministry, even as doctors approached the health ministry headquarters. The strike follows a mobilization through downtown Asunción, culminating at the National Congress.

During their march, the doctors were received by the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Raúl Latorre, who is also a medical doctor. Ferreira explained that the meeting with Latorre was informative rather than decisive. She felt that the executive branch, particularly the Ministry of Health, had distorted the objectives of their movement with "half-truths and lies." The doctors sought to clarify their position with all stakeholders.

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As I was on the agenda, we went to parliament to try to dialogue. Upon entering, several deputies received us and later we spoke with the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Dr. Raúl Latorre, which was a non-decisive, but informative meeting, because we see that our fight, the content, our objectives were distorted by the executive, specifically by the Ministry of Health, where half-truths, lies and other things are spoken, which we clarified with all the actors.

According to Ferreira, Latorre showed openness to their concerns, likely due to his background as a physician who understands the healthcare system's challenges. He reportedly committed to interceding with the executive and legislative branches to present the doctors' situation and explore potential solutions. Ferreira noted that within the medical community of approximately 5,000 union members, "everyone knows each other," implying a shared understanding of the issues at hand, in contrast to their perception of the Health Minister.

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So, we can say about our members, who I think now number around 5,000, that we all know each other and those who are not members too. So, we know who is who. Now, we don't know the Minister of Health. She is a woman who has dedicated her whole life to politics and came through those political channels to take a position like Minister of Health, but she never connected with doctors, she never did guard duty, surely, I don't want to prejudge her.