The Ministry of Public Health has been unable to avert the 48-hour strike called by the Dominican Medical Association (CMD) and medical societies for this Thursday, 10 August and Friday, 11 August 2023, as reported in Hoy.
“We believe that there should be no strike system for patients. The patients need the check-up and treatments, and we need to sit down and look for the solution,” said Public Health Minister Daniel Rivera.
On the other hand, the physicians in both public hospitals and private clinics demand better conditions from the medical insurance plans (ARS). The spokesperson for the ARS says the deals are up to the government.
Vice-President Raquel Peña says the government “has always had its doors open” to discuss the doctors’ demands.
But the CMD and the Specialized Medical Societies called the work stoppage in clinics and hospitals, given the government and highly profitable medical insurance plans (ARSs) are not acting on their demands of the health sector.
“We continue without receiving a response from the government authorities on the list of demands that we have been dealing with for more than a year, and they were left without a proposal worth discussing,” said Dr. Senén Caba, president of the Medical Association.
The union members indicate that despite being informed of the stoppage of activities, no authority has summoned them to talk and look for a solution to the problems they face as a sector.
“We are ratifying the stoppage of activities for Thursday, 10 and Friday, 11 August. Consultation services and elective procedures will be suspended at public and private levels throughout the country,” said Dr. Caba. The suspension includes dentistry and psychology services. Emergency services will continue.
“Unfortunately, the government, the Social Security institutions and the health intermediaries continue to show an indifferent attitude to the demands that we are making so that the population has better coverage of health services,” he said.
The medical societies demand fair and adequate working conditions. Dr. Caba said the government seems to not care about improving the precarious conditions in which health professionals work or that the population is left without health services.
“We reiterate that we have always maintained our disposition for dialogue and agreement, but on this occasion, we make it a condition for attending new conversations that they give us in advance a proposal with possible solutions to our claims,” Dr Caba said, as reported in Hoy.
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Hoy
10 August 2023