Panama's Private Clinics
Scab Strike
Five of the so-called
private popular clinics
in Panama began offering
services to the
population on Thursday
under a government
contract, to confront a
24-day medical strike in
public hospitals.
The 5,000 physicians
employed by the Health
Ministry and Social
Security (CSS) started
the protest on November
6, initially demanding a
60-percent salary
increase, termed
excessive by the
Executive.
However, at the start of
negotiations doctors
reduced their demand to
between 40 and 50
percent and a written
commitment not to
privatize the health
system, but health
authorities made any
wage increase
conditional on an
increase in productivity
and quality of services.
At that time talks
entered their current
deadlock, with the
government setting a 16
percent ceiling of 16
percent.
Today Health Minister
Rosario Turner
reiterated that the
Executive has no plan to
privatize health
services. However, she
said they will negotiate
with strikers again only
after they stop the
protest. |
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