The Paraguayan government and the National Union of Physicians reached a preliminary agreement for a 2,000,000-guaraní (US$332.93) salary increase for all public-sector professionals, covering both contracted and appointed doctors, in a move that could cancel the national strike called for Sept. 21-22 pending ratification at an assembly.
The understanding followed a meeting at the Mburuvicha Róga presidential residence attended by President Santiago Peña, Health and Social Welfare Minister Isaías Fretes, Civil Cabinet chief Javier Giménez, and union general secretary Rossana González. González said at a press conference: “We are immensely grateful that today we have a proposal that satisfies us.”
RELATED: Paraguay Doctors And Teachers Announce September Strikes
Peña said on social media that the measure “vindicates” the union and is a decision “that looks to the present, but also to the future.” Giménez said the signing of the document opens the door for doctors to lift the work stoppage during their next general assembly. Fretes described the day as a “historic triumph for Paraguayan identity and the medical union,” highlighting the Executive’s willingness to settle a social debt postponed for years.
Under the budget agreement for next year, the raise will be paid per employment relationship, a figure close to the sector’s initial proposal. Base salaries currently range between 5 million (US$836) and 5.4 million guaraníes (US$903), depending on the type of contract.
Public-sector doctors and teachers in Paraguay have announced separate strikes for September, increasing pressure on the government as Congress debates the proposed 2027 budget.
The National Medical Union (Sinamed) formally notified the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social… pic.twitter.com/gUHN1rGFnX
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) September 9, 2026
The negotiations also tripled the labor formalization target set for this period. Of 490 vacancies initially planned for appointments, the quota was expanded to 2,300 doctors entering the permanent staff, with an additional 1,500 positions projected for the next period to curb precariousness in emergency and intensive care areas.
The pact includes hiring more personnel, payment for working on holidays, and an institutional commitment to guarantee the constant supply of basic supplies and medicines in public hospitals. The union representation announced that professionals themselves will assume an active oversight role alongside citizens to monitor compliance with each agreed point.
From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.