The Ministry of Public Health rejected a proposal made by the Dominican Medical College (CMD) that sought to give the doctors a 50% pay raise in January 2005, and another 50% pay raise in January 2006, rather then the 30% offered by the government. The immediate reaction of the CMD was to call a 72-hour strike at the 173 public hospitals belonging to the Public Health and Social Security network. Next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday will see the doctors on strike, attending only emergency cases and those that are very, very ill. The strike will also include public protests and picketing at the different medical facilities. These decisions were announced after a two-hour meeting between CMD president Waldo Ariel Suero and Public Health Minister Sabino Baez that included representatives from the IDSS (the Dominican Institute for Social Security) as well as the CMD. Suero told the press after the meeting that his group was “very sad that the minister did not keep his word, and because of this we have to go on strike.” Suero said that his people presented three different budgets that would provide the doctors with their 100% pay increase. The original proposal from the CMD was for a 100% wage increase to be split up over the years 2005 and 2006. The government’s counteroffer came in the form of a 30% raise that is to be awarded to the entire government workforce. Curiously, the meeting was originally called not to discuss the 100% pay increase, but rather to hear a proposal from Dr Fulgencio Severino, a security consultant. Severino’s proposal put forth the idea of a 50% pay increase, which would include the government’s 30%, and a subsequent 20% increase during 2005. Minister Baez said that his hands were tied, however, as the technicians from the National Planning Office had advised him that there was no money for a further 20% wage increase for the doctors. The minister even had the head of ONAPLAN (National Planning Office), Guarocuya Feliz, explain the situation to the CMD delegates. The minister said that he was always open to further negotiations with the CMD. As the meeting ended, the CMD president told the press that it had been a failure and announced the 72-hour strike for next week.