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Peru's Health Ministry Ends Bonus Points for Disability, Ex-Military in Rural Service Program
🇵🇪 Peru /Conflict & Security

Peru's Health Ministry Ends Bonus Points for Disability, Ex-Military in Rural Service Program

From La República · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Peru's Ministry of Health has modified the Serums law, eliminating bonus points for individuals with disabilities and former military personnel in the allocation of rural health service positions.
  • The change, formalized by Ministerial Resolution N.º 617-2026/MINSA, aligns the regulation with a National Civil Service Authority (Servir) opinion stating these bonuses are for job competitions, not mandatory service programs.
  • This modification follows an investigation into an unusual increase in disability claims for Serums bonuses, which had significantly boosted applicants' rankings.

Peru's Ministry of Health has overhauled the rules for its mandatory rural and marginal health service program, Serums, by removing special considerations for individuals with disabilities and former military personnel. The updated regulation, formalized through Ministerial Resolution N.º 617-2026/MINSA, aims to standardize the entry process and plaza allocation.

The bonus benefits provided for in the General Law of the Person with a Disability and the Military Service Law will no longer be applicable during the plaza adjudication process for Serums.

— Ministry of HealthExplaining the elimination of bonus points for specific groups.

Previously, these groups received bonus points that significantly improved their chances of securing desirable positions. However, the ministry's decision, based on a technical opinion from the National Civil Service Authority (Servir), asserts that such bonuses are intended for public job competitions, not for mandatory service programs like Serums. Servir concluded that Serums participation does not establish an employment relationship with the public administration.

These benefits correspond to public competitions to access a job in the State. In contrast, Serums constitutes a mandatory service program and its incorporation does not create an employment relationship with the public administration.

— ServirThe National Civil Service Authority's reasoning for excluding bonuses from the Serums process.

The regulatory change comes after a controversy where the Colegio Médico del Perú reported a sharp rise in Serums applicants claiming disability status. This surge, which saw 409 professionals declare disability for the 2026 intake compared to 31 in 2025, led to accusations that the bonus points were being exploited to gain an unfair advantage. Some applicants reportedly climbed hundreds of places in the ranking due to these bonuses, securing better placements. The Ministry of Health had previously announced an audit of the certificates presented.

Some applicants managed to climb up to 500 places in the merit order thanks to the bonus, which allowed them to access better plazas.

— William GuzmánThe spokesperson for the Colegio Médico del Perú highlighting the impact of the bonus points.
DistantNews Editorial

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

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