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Nicaraguan MD's Work Stoppage
Heats Up
Striking public hospital doctors
in Nicaragua entered their third
day on Wednesday as they
threatened to suspend emergency
services if their demand to
improve higher wages is declared
illegal.
The Labor Ministry temporarily
suspended the layoff of
Federacion de Medicos Pro-Salarios
(Federation of Doctors in
Defense of Wages) leaders that
Health Minister Margarita
Gurdian requested, but made it
clear the situation would be
assessed on Wednesday.
Gurdian said the doctors´ are
demanding a 140 percent salary
raise and access to life
insurance and housing programs,
which lacks a legal foundation.
She asserted their demand could
not be met because her
ministry´s budget was
insufficient to do so, and urged
strikers to discuss a collective
work agreement.
Nicaraguan physicians want a
salary that matches that of
their Central American
colleagues at 1,300 dollars per
month, as they only make between
300 and 400 dollars a month.
These issues are affecting the
population, as more than 20,000
office hours and nearly 1,000
surgeries have been suspended
during the last two days.
That situation may get worse at
public hospitals on Thursday,
when 25,000 members of the
Health Workers´ Federation (FETSALUD)
will join the strike.
FETSALUD demands a 100 percent
raise and a larger budget to buy
medications and consumables for
medical centers.
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