Doctors and nurses on three-day strike

[NewsWhore]

Doctors, nurses and the Coordinator of the Health Sector Unions will bring health services in the nation's public hospitals, as well as those of the Dominican Social Security Institute, to a halt beginning tomorrow morning as they go out on another 72-hour strike. The decision was announced by Dominican Medical Association (CMD) president Waldo Ariel Suero, and Minerva Magdalena and Rafaela Figueroa representing the other unions. Right off, Public Health Minister Dr. Bautista Rojas Gomez described the health workers' decision as "irrational" and "lacking intelligence". The minister met with regional health directors to sketch out a strategy for the three-day strike. The strike will begin at 6:00 on Wednesday morning and will last until the same time on Saturday. The aim of the strike is to press the government to grant a major salary increase. Tomorrow's strike is the third this year and the 16th or 17th over the past year and a half in the health professionals' campaign. The country's 156 public hospitals and Public Health Ministry clinics, and 23 Social Security Institute (IDSS) hospitals will be affected by the strike. The authorities maintain that there is no money for the pay increase that the doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians, dentists and administrative employees of the IDSS are demanding. Only emergency cases and seriously ill patients will be treated during the strike.

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