Dominican hospitals live the second day of the sixth strike in a month and a half

Dominican doctors today staged the second day of a 48-hour strike in public hospitals in the country, the sixth since the beginning of October, with the purpose of require the Government to comply with an agreement that provides for a salary increase.

Santo Domingo, Nov 16 (EFE) .- Dominican doctors today led the second day of a 48-hour strike in public hospitals in the country, the sixth that they carry out since the first October, with the purpose of demanding from the Government the fulfillment of an agreement that provides for a salary increase.

The Dominican Medical Association (CMD), entity calling the stoppages, called for future mobilizations whose date will be defined next week, before the supposed refusal of the Minister of Health, Altagracia Guzmán Marcelino, to talk with health professionals to reach an agreement.

The civil servant manifested in several occasions that she would not maintain any dialogue under pressure nor before the celebration of the elections of the union entity, that were on November 8, but so far there has been no negotiation, according to denounce in outgoing president of the entity, Waldo Ariel Suero.

The union leader, who Following the strike, he said that the official is not adequately informing the President of the Republic, Danilo Medina, about the situation he is facing. to doctors with the Ministry.

In November 2016, after almost seven months of negotiations and work stoppages, a salary increase of 25% was agreed for the professionals of the sector and access to pensions for 1,800 people, among other improvements for health workers.

The agreement established that the salary increase would be carried out in two parts, one of the 10%, which was applied as of January this year, and another equivalent to 15%, scheduled for August.

However, the CMD ensures that more than 5,000 doctors, most of them workers of the hospitals that belonged to the Dominican Social Security Institute (IDSS), were out of the second item of the increase, which is denied by the Ministry of Health.