The national strike by public-sector doctors in Paraguay enters its fifth day this Thursday, the 27th, without an agreement with the government, and the doctors are threatening mass resignations from Monday, the 30th. About 39 pediatric surgeons from across the country announced that they will resign if there is no concrete proposal by Friday, the 28th.
The National Doctors’ Union (Sinamed) is maintaining its suspension of consultations and elective procedures while guaranteeing emergency care. Its main demand is a 76% salary increase, which would raise the current base pay from approximately 5.4 million guaraníes to 8 million for a 12-hour-per-week contract. Salaries have been frozen for 12 years, and many professionals hold up to three contracts to supplement their income.
On Thursday morning, union representatives met with senators and Health Minister María Teresa Barán and Economy Minister Óscar Lovera, but there was no progress. The government says the requested increase would cost $128 million a year, an amount it considers unviable. In response, it proposed a career plan for 1,500 doctors, which Sinamed rejected as it insisted on a general increase.
Senator Lilian Samaniego of the Colorado Party presented an intermediate proposal: raising the base pay to 7 million guaraníes, with increases phased in over seven steps across 14 months. The measure, however, has not yet been formalized by the government and will be reviewed by doctors at an assembly. Sinamed Secretary-General Rossana González said she would assess the proposal only after its official presentation.
To pressure the authorities, the doctors intensified their protests. A group traveled to Encarnación, where the World Rally Championship is taking place, to give the conflict international visibility. The strategy seeks to draw attention during one of the country’s biggest sporting events, which attracts thousands of tourists.
Lawmakers disagree over how to finance the increase. Senator Silvio Ovelar of the Colorado Party suggested raising taxes such as the Personal Income Tax and the Value-Added Tax, but other legislators criticized the proposal. The Honor Colorado caucus, led by Natalicio Chase, rejected an increase in the tax burden and presented a bill to create a compensatory levy on products harmful to health, such as cigarettes, allocating part of the revenue to the sector.
Minister Barán said the Health Ministry’s $1.4 billion budget is insufficient to meet all demands. She argued that granting the increase would set a precedent for other sectors, but acknowledged the need to correct salary disparities, especially in relation to the Institute of Social Security (IPS), where doctors earn less.
With the strike continuing, the doctors are preparing new protests for Friday, the 28th, in Encarnación. The lack of an agreement could worsen the crisis in the already overburdened public health system and leave thousands of patients without specialized care.