VENEZUELA · HEALTH
Key Facts
- Decision The FMV (Federación Médica Venezolana), Venezuela’s national doctors’ federation, will skip the 16 November health strike.
- Why It says it was not consulted and calls the strike “untimely and outside all logic”.
- Strike Eighteen unions, led by Fetrasalud, a federation of public health workers’ unions, are promoting it.
- Own demands Salary scales, hospital supplies and a medical-sector contract, pursued separately.
- Power Index Venezuela ranks 12th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 29.4 points (November 2026 edition).
Venezuela’s national doctors’ federation said on Wednesday 11 November that it will not join a health-sector strike set for Monday 16 November. The Federación Médica Venezolana (FMV), the federation of the country’s doctors, called the plan untimely in a public communiqué.
The split matters first to patients and health workers in Venezuela, who will feel any disruption. For US readers, it is a gauge of how united the pay protest is, which bears on political risk in a country that interests US investors.
What the Federation Said
The communiqué is signed by FMV president Douglas León Natera and acting secretary general Francisco Rivas, on behalf of the federation’s national executive committee. It says the federation has decided not to take part in the stoppage called for Monday 16 November.
The FMV says neither its national board nor its 18 regional medical colleges were consulted beforehand. Medical colleges are the regional bodies that group doctors in each part of the country.
The federation calls the strike “untimely and outside all logic”, in the Spanish of its statement “extemporáneo y fuera de toda lógica”. It gives the missing consultation as its reason for staying out.
The Strike It Is Skipping
The stoppage was called by 18 union organisations led by Fetrasalud, the Federación de Trabajadores de la Salud, a federation of public-sector health workers’ unions. They cite socioeconomic and pay demands.
Union leaders, among them Fetrasalud executive Pablo Zambrano, announced the stoppage after an assembly at the Central University of Venezuela, a large public university in Caracas. Education and university unions also took part.
Our earlier report describes a 12-hour stoppage by teachers, nurses, other health workers and university staff. They want year-end bonuses, called aguinaldos, calculated on a US$240 monthly income for four months, or US$960 per worker.
Delcy Rodríguez, acting president since January, raised the minimum monthly income to US$240 at the end of April 2026. Union leaders say year-end bonuses should be calculated on that full amount.
What the Doctors Still Want
The FMV says it keeps its own demands and will keep up its own protest actions, separate from the labour unions. It wants talks on the collective agreement for the medical sector, and a discussion of salary scales.
It also asks for guaranteed supplies for state health facilities and social protection for retired doctors and survivors. It lists these separately from the unions’ pay demands.
In Plain English, Who Is Who
The FMV is Venezuela‘s national doctors’ federation, with 18 regional medical colleges. Fetrasalud is the federation of public health workers’ unions that leads the strike call.
An aguinaldo is a year-end bonus that many Latin American workers expect. Delcy Rodríguez has been Venezuela’s acting president since January 2026.
What It Means for You
For patients in Venezuela, the FMV decision means doctors are not formally part of the stoppage, though the turnout is unknown. The statement as reported does not say how individual doctors will act that day.
For US readers, the split shows that the pay protest does not have every health group behind it, a point for investors and aid groups tracking pay pressure there. Public services in Venezuela may be disrupted on Monday 16 November, depending on turnout.
What Is Not Known
No government response has been reported, and expected turnout is unclear. It is also unknown how many doctors in the public hospital network will be affected.
Whether individual doctors’ unions will join despite the federation is open, as is whether Fetrasalud has answered the FMV. The picture should clear by Monday 16 November, and our Venezuela coverage will follow it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why won’t Venezuela’s doctors join the strike?
The FMV says neither its board nor its regional colleges were consulted. It calls the strike untimely and outside all logic.
Who called the national health strike?
Eighteen union organisations led by Fetrasalud are promoting it for Monday 16 November. They cite socioeconomic and pay demands.
What does the doctors’ federation want instead?
It wants talks on the medical sector’s collective agreement, discussion of salary scales, guaranteed hospital supplies, and social protection for retired doctors and survivors. It says it will keep up its own protest actions.
What is the FMV?
It is Venezuela’s national doctors’ federation, with 18 regional medical colleges. Its president is Douglas León Natera.
Sources: Communiqué of the Federación Médica Venezolana, signed by Douglas León Natera and Francisco Rivas, 11 November 2026; statements by union leaders after the assembly at the Central University of Venezuela, November 2026; The Rio Times earlier report on the strike call.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error
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