Strike By Panama’s Doctors Leaves 22,000 People Without Medical Care

Strike by Panama’s doctors leaves 22,000 people without medical care

PANAMA CITY, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) — At least 22,000 Panamanians were unable to get medical treatment as doctors across the countrybegan a two-day strike seeking better salaries, the state-run Health Insurance Company (CSS) told media Tuesday.

Julio Valarini, leader of the National Medical Negotiation Commission, said that 80 percent of the doctors at Panama’s main health centers participated in the strike, which began at 7:00 a.m. local time (1300 GMT) Tuesday and planned to last until 7:00 a.m. (1300 GMT) Thursday.

The purpose of the strike is to demand a salary increase, from 900 to 1,500 U.S. dollars per month.

Ruben Dario Lopez, the CSS head of medical benefits, said the organization had halted all consultations and cut down on the use of emergency rooms, operating theatres and dialysis services.

However, the country’s Health Minister Rosario Turner said the government could not comply with doctors’ demands because the measures were “excessive and unfeasible from a financial point of view”.

The Commission and the government are discussing a 10-point document which also calls for improvements in service provision.

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