Paraguayan pediatric ICUs declared "conflict zones" amid doctor resignations

The Society of Pediatric Intensive Care of Paraguay (SOPACIP) has officially declared all pediatric intensive care units (UTIPs) in the public health system a "conflict zone." This declaration comes amid a national doctors' strike and follows the mass resignation of medical professionals who say they have exhausted all dialogue with the government.

“

The Society of Pediatric Intensive Care of Paraguay (SOPACIP) declared officially in “conflict zone” all Pediatric Intensive Care Units (UTIP) dependent on the Ministry of Public Health in the national territory.

According to the specialists' group, the public healthcare system is suffering from a severe shortage of basic supplies, a lack of maintenance for biomedical equipment, and a critical scarcity of specialized personnel. This "state of abandonment" is compounded by precarious labor conditions, including salaries that have been frozen for 14 years and continuous delays in incentive payments mandated by law.

“

The decision of the group of professionals arises in direct solidarity with the doctors who were forced to resign en masse after exhausting all avenues of dialogue with the Government, upon confirming that there are no minimum guarantees to care for patients in critical condition.

In response to the growing number of vacancies, SOPACIP has issued a call to the medical community, advising against taking up positions in pediatric intensive care units under the current conditions. While respecting individual career choices, the society emphasized this is a responsible warning, as any doctor accepting these roles would face the same lack of resources and an unsustainable professional burden.

“

In the public health system, there is a lack of basic supplies, a lack of maintenance of biomedical equipment, and a shortage of specialized personnel.

The medical association is also raising alarms about the Ministry of Health's potential to address the crisis by hiring professionals who lack the necessary certification and postgraduate training in pediatric intensive care. SOPACIP stresses that good intentions or experience in other fields cannot substitute for the specialized training required to treat critically ill children. The situation highlights a deep crisis in Paraguay's healthcare system, jeopardizing the well-being of its youngest and most vulnerable patients.

“

We cannot recommend any colleague to join the positions left vacant in the pediatric intensive care units while these deficient conditions persist.