The government announced a significant pay increase for its medical professionals as of Saturday, 4 January 2025. Vice President Raquel Peña revealed that the agreement had been reached with the Dominican Medical Association, granting doctors a 25% salary bump effective immediately.
The increase will be phased in over several months: 10% in January 2025, an additional 10% in July 2025 based on the adjusted salary, and a final 5% in January 2026. This staggered approach ensures a gradual implementation of the full 25% raise.
The pay hike will benefit doctors working in various government health institutions, including the National Health Service (SNS), the Ministry of Public Health, self-managed hospitals, the 911 emergency service, CONAPE, and medical auditors.
The agreement was finalized on Saturday, 4 January following ongoing dialogue between the government and the medical association. Vice President Peña and the association’s president, Waldo Ariel Suero, signed the accord.
Diario Libre explains that while the initial announcement states a 25% increase, further analysis reveals that the total pay raise will exceed this figure for many doctors. Because of how the increases are calculated, those with higher starting salaries will see a larger overall percentage increase.
For instance, a specialist earning RD$69,690 monthly will receive a total increase of approximately 28.4%. Even for general practitioners, the raise will be closer to 27%.
Breaking down the increase
To illustrate how the pay raise will work, let’s consider the lowest-paid category of doctors, recent graduates. Their current salary is RD$44,355.09 per month.
• January 2025: A 10% increase brings their salary to RD$48,790.51.
• July 2025: An additional 10% based on the adjusted salary raises it to RD$53,669.57.
• January 2026: A final 5% increase brings their salary to RD$56,353.05.
This represents a total increase of 27.05%, exceeding the initial 25% figure.
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N Digital
Diario Libre
8 January 2025