Honduras Doctors’ Protest Hits Third Week as Hospitals Suspend Outpatient Care

HONDURAS · HEALTH

Outpatient clinics are running short across public hospitals while emergency rooms stay open. Each side says the other is blocking a deal.

The Honduras doctors protest has now run for three weeks, and outpatient care is still limited in public hospitals. The Colegio Médico de Honduras, the doctors’ professional body, began nationwide assemblies on Monday, 7 September 2026.

What the Honduras doctors protest is about

The dispute is between the Colegio Médico de Honduras (CMH), the medical college, and the Secretaría de Salud, the health ministry. The CMH called members to nationwide assemblies from 7:00 am on Monday, 7 September 2026.

The doctors call the action asambleas informativas, or informational assemblies, rather than a strike. They gather at their workplaces during working hours instead of formally walking out.

Honduran outlets reported that some doctors had waited six to eight months for pay. In a few cases the wait reached about a year.

Honduras is in its first year under President Nasry Asfura, who took office on 27 January 2026. Health-sector pay disputes long predate his term.

What the doctors are demanding

The CMH wants an end to dismissals and the reinstatement of doctors who lost their posts. It also wants contracts and interim appointments signed.

Other demands include back pay, inflation-linked adjustments and the 2026 two-yearly pay review. The college also asks for a higher base salary for resident doctors.

It wants 12 percent of the national budget assigned to public health. The college has also asked for a meeting with President Nasry Asfura.

The college also wants the decentralised health networks brought back under central control. It seeks 21 days of prophylactic leave and back pay for staff hired through the social security institute.

Which hospitals and services are affected

Outpatient consultations and scheduled procedures are suspended during the assemblies. Emergency rooms, critical care and delivery units stay staffed, the college says.

The action is national, and no full list of affected hospitals has been published. Hospital Escuela in Tegucigalpa, the main public referral hospital, is the most reported case.

El Heraldo reported on 11 September that Hospital Escuela was working at about half capacity. It said roughly 1,500 patients were left without service that day.

Assemblies have been called day by day, usually from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm. Doctors return to their normal duties once each assembly closes.

What the government says

Deputy health minister Eduardo Midence said 1,139 public health workers had already been paid. He said 35 doctors were still in administrative checks and 199 cases sat with the civil service.

Midence said the assemblies amounted to a secuestro, or hijacking, of access to health services. “Hay que llamar las cosas por su nombre,” he said — things must be called by their name.

The ministry says it has kept earlier agreements and that the remaining cases are administrative. Midence also said public supplies stood at about 85 percent.

The ministry says the outstanding problems belong in administrative channels rather than in protest. Midence said the ministry could resolve the situation that way.

Where the talks stand

The health ministry called the college to a dialogue table on 11 September, after four days of assemblies. That meeting ended without a firm payment date.

Samuel Santos said then that 1,067 contracted doctors still had no date for their money. Around 16 September the government said payments would begin in roughly two weeks.

The Honduras doctors protest ran into a third week from Monday, 21 September 2026. No agreement to end the assemblies has been announced.

The college called an extraordinary national assembly for Friday, 18 September 2026. Board member Rosa María Duarte Flores said the main demands were still unmet.

Nurses add to the pressure

The Asociación Nacional de Enfermeras y Enfermeros Auxiliares de Honduras (ANEEAH), the auxiliary nurses’ association, has warned of its own protests. Its president, Josué Orellana, spoke on 22 September.

The association says more than 350 posts are vacant across the public network. It says the system needs over 3,000 extra staff to meet demand.

ANEEAH is weighing an occupation of the Centro Cívico Gubernamental, the main government complex in Tegucigalpa. Its demands include job reclassification and greater job security.

Why this matters for expats and investors

If you use public hospitals in Honduras, routine appointments may be postponed without notice. Call the hospital before travelling, and keep emergency cover in place.

Private hospitals and clinics are not part of this action. Expats with private insurance should see little change in day-to-day care.

For investors, a long payroll dispute points to strain in public finances and service delivery. It does not change the rules for foreign investment.

What is still unclear

There is no official count of cancelled consultations or delayed operations. Neither side has published a full list of the hospitals worst affected.

It is also unclear when the promised payments will reach every doctor. No end date for the assemblies has been set.

A further round of talks would be the clearest sign of movement. Until then, patients should expect public outpatient care to stay limited.

More: Latin America news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this a formal strike?

No. The Colegio Médico de Honduras calls it asambleas informativas, or informational assemblies, held during working hours.

Are emergency services still open?

Yes. The college told members to keep emergency rooms, critical care and delivery units staffed throughout the assemblies.

What does the government say about pay?

Deputy health minister Eduardo Midence said 1,139 workers had been paid. He said 35 doctors await validation and 199 cases sit with the civil service.

Sources: Colegio Médico de Honduras announcements and statements by president Samuel Santos, 7–18 September 2026; Honduras Secretaría de Salud remarks by deputy minister Eduardo Midence, 22 September 2026; ANEEAH; Infobae Honduras, El Heraldo, La Prensa, Proceso Digital, Tiempo, Once Noticias and El Espectador.