Paraguay Doctors Strike Enters Day Three as Deputies Step In
Paraguay · HEALTH
Key Facts
- —Third day The Paraguay doctors strike reached day three on Wednesday, August 26, without agreement.
- —Mediator The Chamber of Deputies agreed to mediate between the medical unions and the executive.
- —Pay claim Doctors want a floor of 2.8 minimum wages, or 8,523,200 guaraníes (US$1,436) monthly.
- —Cost The health ministry puts the annual bill for that claim near US$150 million.
- —Budget The 2027 national budget reaches Congress by September 1, setting the real deadline.
The Chamber of Deputies takes the mediator’s seat as the Paraguay doctors strike passes day three.
The Paraguay doctors strike reached its third day on Wednesday, August 26, with no agreement in sight. The Chamber of Deputies then announced it would mediate between the medical unions and the executive.
Deputies take the mediator role
The Chamber of Deputies received leaders of the Sindicato Nacional de Médicos on Wednesday, August 26. The name translates as National Doctors’ Union, and the group is usually called Sinamed.
Chamber president Raúl Latorre said afterwards that the lower house would act as an active mediator. He was joined by the Mesa Directiva, the chamber’s governing board, and by bench leaders.
Latorre framed the task as building a bridge to the economy and health ministries. He declined to predict when the Paraguay doctors strike might be lifted.
Miguel Del Puerto, who leads the Honor Colorado bench, attended the meeting for his group. The chamber published its own account of the session the same day.
What the unions are asking for now
Rosanna González, secretary general of the Sindicato Nacional de Médicos, set out four core demands. She told deputies the union had brought full costings and the reasoning behind each point.
The headline claim is a pay floor of 2.8 minimum wages for public sector doctors. Paraguay’s legal minimum wage has been 3,044,000 guaraníes (US$513) a month since July 2026.
In the tiered proposal, a 12-hour weekly post rises from 5,000,000 guaraníes (US$842) to 8,000,000 guaraníes (US$1,348). Two posts covering 24 hours would move from 10,000,000 guaraníes (US$1,685) to 16,000,000 guaraníes (US$2,696).
Three posts, or 36 weekly hours, would rise from 15,000,000 guaraníes (US$2,527) to 24,000,000 guaraníes (US$4,044). Conversions use the Banco Central del Paraguay reference rate of 5,935.17 guaraníes per dollar on August 26.
The other three points are appointments for long-serving contract staff, double holiday pay and reliable supplies. Union figures put the number of contracted colleagues still awaiting appointment at 9,000.
The government answer so far
Economy minister Óscar Lovera has called the pay claim impossible to fund from current state resources. His ministry and the health ministry met union delegates on Wednesday afternoon.
The executive is instead pushing a carrera sanitaria, a health career ladder linking pay to training and experience. Health minister María Teresa Barán has defended that route and warned about knock-on claims.
Deputy health minister Saúl Recalde put the annual cost of the union claim near US$150 million. He said the ministry wants to conciliate but cannot meet that figure now.
González rejects the idea that any firm offer is already on the table. She says no written proposal with numbers and timetables has reached the union.
Which hospital services are still running
The Ministerio de Salud Pública y Bienestar Social, the public health ministry, ordered a contingency roster before the walkout. Intensive care, emergency rooms, maternity wards, dialysis and oncology infusion were all listed as guaranteed.
Blood banks, laboratories serving inpatients and urgent surgery also stayed on the protected list. Routine outpatient consultations and non-urgent scheduled operations were suspended across the public network.
The Instituto de Previsión Social, the country’s social security health system, kept working normally. So did the Hospital de Clínicas and the police and military hospitals.
Union organisers counted about 5,000 participants on day one, from roughly 11,000 doctors on ministry contracts. Those totals come from the union rather than from an official ministry tally.
Why the 2027 budget matters most
The Paraguay doctors strike has run into a calendar that neither side controls. The executive must send the Presupuesto General de la Nación, the national budget, to Congress by September 1.
Cristina Villalba, who chairs the lower house budget committee, says health will be central to that debate. She argues little room is left to expand spending inside the 2026 financial year.
Latorre said any agreement reached could be written into the budget itself. One option under study is an addendum sent later by the executive to legislators.
As tabled, the 2026 budget gave the health ministry 10.1 trillion guaraníes (US$1.70 billion). That was 6.8 percent of total spending and about 2.5 percent of gross domestic product.
González has said the union is not demanding the money inside this year’s accounts. Her question to legislators is how and when a rise would take effect from 2027.
Pressure on the streets and in the Senate
Doctors closed Avenida Mariscal López in Asunción on Wednesday, outside the economy ministry. Colleagues in Alto Paraná marched to the administrative offices of the Itaipú dam.
Protests also reached Ciudad del Este, Concepción and the Misiones department during the third day. Marches have run daily since Monday, concentrated mainly in the capital.
Senators joined the criticism of how the executive has handled the dispute. Lilian Samaniego said the health minister should face the strikers in person.
Senate president Basilio Núñez called for a dialogue table and said the numbers must be examined. He also flagged the risk that nurses and other staff would follow with claims.
What happens next
The stoppage was called through Friday, August 28, with daily marches in Asunción. Hospital delegates were due to meet on Thursday to decide whether to extend it.
Senate leaders scheduled a meeting for Thursday morning with the economy and health ministers. The union says it will take any concrete offer back to a general assembly.
For patients, the practical test is whether outpatient clinics reopen next week. For investors, the test is whether a settlement lands inside the 2027 budget.
Nothing in the Paraguay doctors strike has yet produced a signed agreement. Both sides ended the third day describing the talks as a beginning rather than a result.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which body is mediating the dispute?
The Chamber of Deputies, through its governing board, agreed on August 26 to mediate. Its president, Raúl Latorre, said talks would run with the economy and health ministries.
Are emergency services still working?
Yes, the health ministry’s contingency roster keeps intensive care, emergencies, maternity, dialysis and oncology running. Routine outpatient consultations and non-urgent scheduled surgery are the services that stopped.
How long will the Paraguay doctors strike last?
The stoppage was called through Friday, August 28, and an extension remains possible. Hospital delegates planned to meet on Thursday to decide whether to continue.
Connected Coverage
Paraguay doctors strike over collapsed health system
Guaraní surge pits Paraguay’s exporters against the central bank
Sources
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- www.bcp.gov.py
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