The Listin Diario reports that the strike called by the Dominican College of Doctors (CMD) left patients without care at the public hospitals or the social security hospitals, which were all but shut down by the work stoppage yesterday. The physicians supposedly resumed work today, but this could be affected by the nationwide work stoppage called for 28 and 29 January. The doctors are asking for a 100% increase in their salaries. Government representatives attributed the strike action to political activity related to the PLD party. According to news that filtered from the meeting between CMD leaders and President Mejia, the President would be open to financing the salary demands through increased taxes. CMD president Waldo Ariel Suero told reporters that the physicians were also looking to move the source of the hospital subsidies from the public health department to the President’s office, in order to remove the bureaucratic roadblocks that have virtually incapacitated patient services at most of the public hospitals across the country. The President suggested that the doctors begin a campaign to convince the people of the need for such new taxation, and then bring the measure to Congress.