NewsWhore
03-19-2009, 06:40 PM
The first day of the two-day strike called by public hospital doctors and other health service unions as part of their bid for a 40% pay increase was completely successful. The Public Health and Dominican Social Security Institute (IDSS) doctors and other professionals on strike turned up early to their workplaces, but they did not go to their offices, instead staying in the front of the hospitals where they were seen early in the day. Others, such as those at the Francisco Moscoso Puello Hospital, marched around the hospital trying to get patients and passers-by to support their cause, but not the authorities, which maintain that conditions do not allow for a salary increase. According to Diario Libre, in the face of this reality, public hospitals managers followed orders from the Minister of Public Health, Bautista Rojas Gomez, and provided consultations for patients who went to the health facilities, along with doctors from the armed forces who worked in the hospitals and due to their status as military personnel are prohibited from taking part in strikes. "Income in the country fell in January and February, so talking about wage increases is a fantasy," reiterated the minister. With this attitude and without any specific proposals for the sector, Rojas Gomez says wage increases can only be pegged to productivity, location and on-duty services.
Waldo Ariel Suero told reporters that this time the doctors and other support personnel are united. The Dominican Medical Association (CMD) president took advantage of the strike to denounce the shortages that affect their work at public hospitals, ranging from lacking medicines to surgery gowns.
The Health Minister reported that thousands of consultations and surgeries were carried out in the public hospitals, which shows that the population heeded the call by the authorities to go to the health centers for medical care. Rojas Gomez said that the logistics put in place have worked and promised that they would remain for the duration of the strike.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#7)
Waldo Ariel Suero told reporters that this time the doctors and other support personnel are united. The Dominican Medical Association (CMD) president took advantage of the strike to denounce the shortages that affect their work at public hospitals, ranging from lacking medicines to surgery gowns.
The Health Minister reported that thousands of consultations and surgeries were carried out in the public hospitals, which shows that the population heeded the call by the authorities to go to the health centers for medical care. Rojas Gomez said that the logistics put in place have worked and promised that they would remain for the duration of the strike.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#7)